It’s summer at last! For many of us this means day trips:  beach days, picnics, festivals, sports events, hiking, enjoying the great outdoors.  It can also mean vacations:  camping, cottages, overnight visits, road trips, and making the most of the warm weather.  Nobody wants aches, stiffness, or mishaps to ruin their summer fun.  To make sure you stay healthy and happy this summer, we’d like to remind you of some critically important tips that you may have forgotten.

These reminders are critical.

Don’t go swimming alone. Even if you are a strong swimmer, muscles can cramp and accidents can happen without warning.  You won’t be able to reach your cell phone from the water.  No one will be able to help you if they don’t know where you are.

If you are swimming, boating, canoeing or otherwise out on the water, save your alcoholic beverages for the evening—or skip them entirely. A boat is a vehicle, just like a car, and should not be operated when you’ve been drinking.  The same goes for bicycles, canoes, ATVs, kayaks…  When you’re swimming, you’ll need your best judgment to make safe choices about how long you can swim, how far away from shore you can go, and when you need help.

Wear proper footwear for your activity. Your high heel wedge sandals may look great but your feet, legs and back will ache if you try to hike in them.

Wear sunscreen and reapply it regularly. Sunscreen wears off over time, so you may need to reapply at regular intervals if you’re spending the whole day outdoors.  It will wear off faster if you’ve been in the water.  For best results, put sunscreen on half an hour before you go outside.

Wear a hat to keep excess sun off your face.  Wear sunglasses certified to block 99% of UV rays.

Are aches and stiffness spoiling your summertime fun?

If stiffness and aches are holding you back from enjoying your summer—or if you played a little too hard and are now nursing a sore back, throbbing feet, a sprain, or a general feeling of soreness—give Sheppard Chiropractic Centre a call at (506) 635-8182 or (506) 847-7172. We are open to serve you this summer!