Skin and Eye Protection
Reminders:
- Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen! Apply every 2 hours, as well as after swimming or exercising. Make sure your sunscreen is not expired.
- Wear sunglasses that can block ultraviolet A and B rays. Sunglasses can also help prevent cataracts and eye wrinkles.
- Wear a hat and stay in the shade. Bring a hat along, even if you aren’t sure how sunny it will be.
- The sun is strongest between 10am and 4pm. If you’re going on a hike or to the beach, try to earlier or later to avoid strong UV rays.
Heat Illness
Summer should be hot but not that hot, know these things about heat illness:
- Heat cramps: earliest signs of heat illness (symptoms: painful muscle spasms, heavy sweating)
What to do: hydrate, go to a cooler area - Heat exhaustion: mild heat illness (symptoms: heavy sweating, rapid pulse, fatigue, dizziness)
What to do: rest, move to a cooler place, drink water or sports drinks, contact your doctor if symptoms don’t improve within one hour - Heat stroke: severe heat illness (symptoms: high body temperature, confusion, agitation, nausea, rapid breathing, headache)
What to do: seek immediate medical help, call 911, get the person into shade or indoors, cool them however possible
Ticks, Mosquitos, and Bees
- Know where ticks are most common. Here’s the geographic distribution of ticks.
- Use Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered insect repellent
- Check for and remove ticks after spending time outside, especially when you’re in areas with tall grasses.
- Wear long sleeves and pants especially at dusk or when around still water
- Use AC or window and door screens to keep mosquitoes and bees outside
Summer Allergies
Common summer allergy causes are pollen from grasses and weeds, air pollution, and mold.
- Allergy signs: runny nose, watery eyes, sneezing, and coughing.
- What to do: take over the counter medications, eye drops, ask your doctor about prescription medications, change or take a shower after going outside, clean air filters ad places in the home where pollen collects.
Sleep
Summer means more hours of daylight- but you should still make sure you get enough sleep. Sleep is important to help you feel energized each day, restoring your body, and memory.
Try to keep a consistent sleep schedule and routine throughout the summer months.
Berry good!
Summer brings berries and why you should eat them:
- Enjoy a cool smoothie, or better yet just some berries to snack on during a picnic or walk!
- Fresh berries give you antioxidants which can help reduce the risks of age-related illness. (Blueberries and blackberries are extra full of antioxidants!)
- Fresh berries also have a lot of fiber, which can help keep down your cholesterol levels.
Alcohol
Drinking can impair your physical and mental abilities…this does not mix well if you’re trying to go boating or even doing something less risky, like hiking. Swimming and alcohol don’t mix too well either – you want to be able to be alert while doing physical activity.
It’s easy to get dehydrated in the summer, especially while drinking. When it’s hot, you’re going to sweat and when you’re drinking alcohol, you’ll have to pee! Sweating + urination = more fluid loss. This can increase your risk of dehydration.
Fresh Air
Get outside to help you unwind and feel better.
Here are some ways to get outside:
- Try gardening or planting some veggies and herbs that you can cook with!
- Go on a hike – alone, with a friend, with your family, with your dog.
- Go for a swim – but, keep in mind:
- During the pandemic, go somewhere that will be less crowded and bring along clothes that are easy to change into so you don’t need to enter any public restrooms or changing rooms
- Bring plenty of water
- Bring lots of sunscreen and make sure to put it on a few minutes before you swim so it doesn’t wash right off
Keep your mind active!
- Read! During the school year, it’s hard to find time to read when you already have to do so much reading for class. So the summer is a great time to find a cozy spot indoors or outdoors to open up a good book. Maybe you can even start a book club with your friends!
- Try photography. Get outside and take pictures of whatever looks good or interesting to you.
- Start listening to podcasts. Here are a few recommendations:
- The New York Times’ Together Apart discusses how we can come together even when we might be apart due to the pandemic. Latest episodes look at weddings and teachers.
- NPR’s Invisibilia. Latest episode investigates immortality.
- Try cooking or baking. Here are some recipes to try:
- Broccoli-mint-walnut pesto. Delicious, easy to make, and has veggies!
- Veggie fried rice. Can use leftover rice and pretty much any veggies you have lying around.
- ***Bonus points if you use fresh berries in your cooking or baking!
- Take an online class or course. St. Olaf students can access LinkedIn Learning for free. Take a course on fighting gender bias at work, Microsoft Excel, or social media for marketing.
- Watch a movie or tv show with a friend! Try the Netflix Party extension so you can watch at the same time and chat during.
Practice yoga. You can use the Downdog Yoga app for free with your college email until July.