Summer Fun!
Where there is fun, there should also be safety, am I right? I know, buzzkill! Well, even though summer is full of sun, water, outdoorsy time, and yummy foods and drinks, it can also include sunburns, scrapes and bruises, bug bites, dehydration, and more, so here are a few ways our family deals with all things summer!
Nothing says summer like playing in the water in the great outdoors…
Unfortunately, we can only bear doing it for so long before we start to crisp, so using a good sunscreen is key to enjoying your time, but you may want to consider what’s in your sunscreen before you lather or spray it all over you and your loved ones! You see, our skin is the largest organ of the body. It can absorb the outside world inside our bodies, so what we put on it matters! Using sunscreen products that don’t contain harsh chemicals, endocrine disruptors, and fragrances that are also reef safe (meaning they don’t kill coral reef) are safer options for the family, and the planet. A couple sunscreen brands we love using are Young Living’s Mineral Sunscreen Lotion (up to 80 minutes of water and sweat resistance!) and BeautyCounter’s Countersun Mineral Sunscreen Mist (using air vs aerosol) because these companies are committed to making clean products that are not only effective but safe for all. They also use non-nano zinc oxide in their sunscreens, which provides powerful protection against the sun by staying on top of the surface of your skin and bouncing off the sun’s harmful rays.
Now, sometimes we can end up a little pink or red when we go too long without sunscreen because we’re having so much fun and forget to reapply, or if your kids are anything like mine, they dodge you trying to get sunscreen on them so they can get to playing right away. When this happens, we love having around Young Living’s After Sun Spray for relieving sunburns and itchy skin with its cooling and soothing properties, minus any harmful ingredients. What I love even more is its multi-purpose and great for bug bites, too! There are no shortages of mosquitos around here and it’s done wonders for us!
Taking care of our skin on the outside is just as important as taking care of our bodies on the inside. Being in the sun and heat requires ample hydration. For our growing family of 4, we each need our own water bottle filled with clean water and electrolytes stored in containers safe against the sun’s heat. We mainly use Kleen Kanteen water bottles as they are BPA-free and made of stainless steel and silicone. They come in both insulated (keeps drinks hot or cold) and non-insulated (lighter in weight) options. What I also appreciate is that they have replacement parts available so you can just replace parts that may be needed over time, rather than having to replace a whole water bottle. Like BeautyCounter, they’re also a certified B-Corporation doing better for people and the planet. If you get on their email list you can get notified of some deep discounts they offer throughout the year making these high-quality reusable products very affordable. We’ve definitely taken advantage of them!
Now when it comes to packing food for the family when we’re out and about all day, it definitely requires planning! I think of charcuterie-to-go to ensure our family has macronutrient balanced foods to fuel our bodies and sustain our energy levels throughout the day and pack whole food forms of protein, carbohydrates, and fats. An example of some things I may throw in a cooler are leftover grilled chicken thighs cut up in strips or cubes, hard-boiled eggs, sliced carrots, radishes, zucchini, cucumbers, olives, nuts, nut butter, roasted and salted kale, or smashed avocados with a squeeze of lime juice and a sprinkle of pink Himalayan salt. For a sweet treat, we may pack some fresh berries, lychee, pineapple, sliced apples, papaya, tangerines, grapes, or mango. If we need to grab more convenient items from the store, some of our go-to’s are Archer beef sticks, Lundberg rice cakes, Harmless Harvest yogurts, and Purely Elizabeth grain free granola. Another way to think about what foods to pack is to eat the rainbow (not Skittles) with various colors of foods represented! Having a variety of flavors, colors, and foods are not only fun to eat but it’s also a great way of increasing the diversity of nutrients you’ll be consuming that day! If you’re gonna eat, you might as well eat yummy things that are actually going to serve your body well, so eat with nutrient density in mind!
What are some of your favorite foods to pack for a beach day???
Here’s to a fun and safe summer!