{"id":146686,"date":"2026-06-30T21:51:39","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T02:51:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/?p=146686"},"modified":"2026-06-30T21:51:39","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T02:51:39","slug":"family-living-focus-fun-summer-days-eating-better-getting-active","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/family-living-focus-fun-summer-days-eating-better-getting-active\/","title":{"rendered":"Family Living Focus: Fun Summer Days – Eating Better, Getting Active"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gail Gilman, Family Life Consultant, M.Ed., C.F.C.S. and Professor<\/em>
\nEmeritus, University of Minnesota<\/em><\/p>\n

School’s out.\u00a0 Things might be slower at work.\u00a0 The warmer weather brings
\nlots of new opportunities to improve your health with plenty of fresh, local
\nproduce and more choices for outside activities.\u00a0 Here is how to make the
\nmost of the summer months.<\/p>\n

When the weather is nice, there are more opportunities for getting outdoors
\nand having fun with your family and incorporating exercise into day-to-day
\nlife.\u00a0 Summer is a great time for getting out and increasing activity, if
\ndone in a safe fashion.<\/p>\n

There are almost endless choices.\u00a0 Take evening walks around the
\nneighborhood. Sign up for summer sports programs at the local community or
\nrecreation center.\u00a0 Go swimming together. Ride your bike or take a hike
\nthrough a park.\u00a0 Plan a family softball or soccer game.<\/p>\n

Just make sure to exercise a little caution.\u00a0 Heat is the biggest danger in
\nthe summer months. Being hot for too long can cause many illnesses, some of
\nwhich can be deadly.\u00a0 Older people are at particularly high risk for
\nhyperthermia
\n<http:\/\/newsinhealth.nih.gov\/definition.aspx?d=Hyperthermia%3a%3aThe+general
\n+term+for+heat-related+illnesses.&t=hyperthermia<\/a>>\u00a0 because the body’s
\nability to respond to summer heat can become less efficient with advancing
\nyears.<\/p>\n

Look out for the warning signs of hyperthermia, which include headache,
\nnausea, dizziness, muscle spasms, and fatigue.\u00a0 If you suspect someone is
\nsuffering from hyperthermia, get the person out of the sun and into a cool
\nplace.\u00a0 Offer fluids, preferably water.\u00a0 Urge the person to lie down and
\nrest in the coolest place possible.\u00a0 Encourage them to shower, bathe, or
\nsponge off with cool water.<\/p>\n

Heat stroke is an especially dangerous form of hyperthermia.\u00a0 It can be life
\nthreatening, so you need to get medical help right away.\u00a0 A person with heat
\nstroke has a body temperature above 104\u00b0 and symptoms such as confusion,
\ncombativeness, bizarre behavior, faintness, staggering, strong rapid pulse,
\ndry flushed skin, lack of sweating or coma.<\/p>\n

To avoid hyperthermia, do not try to exercise or do a lot of strenuous
\nactivities in the midday heat. Make sure to drink plenty of liquids.<\/p>\n

Another potential danger comes from the summer sun.\u00a0 It is a time of the
\nyear when the sun’s intensity is greatest.\u00a0 Exposure to ultraviolet (UV)
\nradiation the invisible rays that are part of the energy that comes from the
\nsun and artificial sources like sun lamps and tanning beds is strongly
\nassociated with skin cancer.<\/p>\n

New cases of skin cancer are diagnosed in the U.S. each year.\u00a0 Both UVB
\nrays, which penetrate the skin, and UVA rays, which penetrate more deeply
\nthrough the skin’s two layers and even a bit beyond, cause various types of
\nskin and eye damage including skin cancer.<\/p>\n

To protect yourself from those UV rays, remember to slip, slop, slap, and
\nwrap.\u00a0 In other words, slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen, slap on a hat and
\nwrap on sunglasses.<\/p>\n

Slip on protective clothing.\u00a0 Choose shirts with long sleeves and long pants
\nto protect as much as your body from the sun as possible.\u00a0 Many modern
\nfabrics are light and breathable yet protect your skin from the sun.\u00a0 A good
\nrule is if you can see through the clothing, UV can pass through it, and it
\nwill not provide you with optimum protection.\u00a0 Some clothes are now marked
\nwith an “Ultraviolet Protection Factor” or “UPF.” UPF measures the amount of
\nUV radiation that can penetrate the fabric.<\/p>\n

Slop on sunscreen.\u00a0 It may help prevent skin cancer, although sunscreen
\ncannot replace avoiding the sun during peak hours, staying in the shade, and
\nwearing protective clothing.\u00a0 Look for sunscreen with a sun protection
\nfactor (SPF) of at least 30.\u00a0 A higher SPF offers even more protection.<\/p>\n

Right now, unfortunately, SPF only measures protection from UVB rays.\u00a0 Since
\nboth UVA and UVB cause damage to the skin, you should use a broad-spectrum
\nsunscreen, one that contains ingredients to protect against both UVA and
\nUVB.\u00a0 Look for product labels that mention UVA protection.<\/p>\n

Slap on a hat.\u00a0 All hats are not equally protective.\u00a0 Choose hats that are
\nbroad brimmed all around to shade the ears and neck as well as the face.<\/p>\n

And finally, wrap on sunglasses.\u00a0 The label should say that the lenses block
\nat least 99% of UVA and UVB radiation.<\/p>\n

Now that you have yourself covered, you can get outside and get active.<\/p>\n

Do not forget there are also healthy eating opportunities that come with
\nwarmer weather.\u00a0 It is easier to eat healthily during the summer.\u00a0 When you
\nare hot, a salad tastes really good.\u00a0 It is easy to grill some chicken and
\nmake a salad with some grilled chicken or fish and fresh fruits and
\nvegetables.<\/p>\n

There are more locally grown fruits and vegetables.\u00a0 You can have fun trying
\nwhat is seasonal and tasty.<\/p>\n

Some people find it challenging to eat well during summer picnics and
\nbarbeques.\u00a0 A lot of the side dishes, things like potato salad and cole
\nslaw, can be loaded with fat and calories.\u00a0 What you can do is offer to
\nbring a side dish yourself and bring a fresh fruit salad, a side salad or
\nsome cut vegetables with some hummus.\u00a0 Stay away from the food table so you
\nare not tempted to eat things you would rather avoid.<\/p>\n

Something else to think about in the heat is keeping foods cool to avoid
\nfood poisoning. Microbes can grow quickly in food that is left out for too
\nlong.<\/p>\n

With some planning, you can enjoy the opportunities that summer brings and
\navoid the health risks.<\/p>\n

Healthy Summer Habits:<\/p>\n

*\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Beat the sun and heat with an early morning or evening activity.
\n*\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Wear protective clothing, such as hats with broad brims all around,
\nlong-sleeved shirts and long pants or skirts, to block out the sun’s harmful
\nrays.
\n*\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Use sunscreen that blocks both UVA and UVB with a sun protection
\nfactor (SPF) of at least 30, preferably higher, and reapply frequently.
\n*\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Use sunglasses that block both UVA and UVB.
\n*\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Try to stay in the shade when outdoors during peak sunlight.
\n*\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Go to an air-conditioned gym, do water workouts, or use a fitness
\nvideo at home.
\n*\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Drink plenty of water before, during and after exercise.
\n*\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Take advantage of seasonal fruits and vegetables at your local
\nfarmers market or grow your own.
\n*\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Boost the flavor and nutrition of your meals with garden-fresh
\nherbs. Web sites:<\/p>\n

Look for more Family Living Focus information from Gail Gilman, Family Life
\nConsultant, M.Ed., C.F.C.S., and Professor Emeritus – University of
\nMinnesota, in next week’s paper.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Gail Gilman, Family Life Consultant, M.Ed., C.F.C.S. and Professor Emeritus, University of Minnesota School’s out.\u00a0 Things might be slower at work.\u00a0 The warmer weather brings lots of new opportunities to improve your health with plenty of fresh, local produce and more choices for outside activities.\u00a0 Here is how to make the most of the summer …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":142950,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[191],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-146686","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsletters"],"aioseo_notices":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":true,"date":"2026-10-03 21:49:49","action":"change-status","newStatus":"trash","terms":[0],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146686","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=146686"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146686\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":146687,"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146686\/revisions\/146687"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/142950"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=146686"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=146686"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=146686"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}