Summer Safety and Health Tips

Summer Health and Safety Tips will be our primary theme on Keeping it Simple KISBYTO) for the month of July.  We have been busy researching, gathering information, and compiling data into key topics and have found a few quizzes to keep you sharp.

So let’s start July off on the right foot, refresh our memory on Summer Safety with a short, 20 question quiz.  Go ahead and take it now, check your answer, and them come back here.

How did you do?  Please don’t feel bad if you missed a few – Diane and I both missed some as well.

In June, we covered Home Safety on the 20^th, those pesky insects on the 24^th, skin rashes on the 25^th, dehydration on the 26^th, and fireworks safety on the 27^th.

Fireworks Safety Tips:

• Never allow young children to play with or ignite fireworks.
• Avoid buying fireworks that are packaged in brown paper because this is often a sign that the fireworks were made for professional displays and that they could pose a danger to consumers.
• Always have an adult supervise fireworks activities. Parents don't realize that young children suffer injuries from sparklers. Sparklers burn at temperatures of about 2,000 degrees - hot enough to melt some metals.
• Never place any part of your body directly over a fireworks device when lighting the fuse. Back up to a safe distance immediately after lighting fireworks.
• Never try to re-light or pick up fireworks that have not ignited fully.
• Never point or throw fireworks at another person.
• Keep a bucket of water or a garden hose handy in case of fire or other mishap.
• Light fireworks one at a time, then move back quickly.
• Never carry fireworks in a pocket or shoot them off in metal or glass containers.
• After fireworks complete their burning, douse the spent device with plenty of water from a bucket or hose before discarding it to prevent a trash fire.
• Make sure fireworks are legal in your area before buying or using them.
• With warm weather and family events, the Fourth of July can be a fun time with great memories. But before your family celebrates, make sure everyone knows about fireworks safety.

Healthy Habits Tips – Get a Jump on Summer

The weather is getting warmer and summer is just around the corner. Are you ready to put on shorts and a bathing suit? If your answer is no, realize that it is not too late to get in shape.

First step, figure what type of exercise you are going to do. Make sure you consult with your physician and if you need information about exercise programs the American heart association, the president’s council on fitness and the department of health and human services are all excellent sources.

Exercise Information

• www.americanheart.org
• www.fitness.gov
• www.smallstep.gov

The next step is to ask yourself one simple question: "Do I really want to do this?". If your answer is no, or if you are kind of on the fence, try this quick exercise. Write down answers to this set of questions:

Motivation Booster

If I don’t exercise ...

• How will I look this summer?
• How will I feel this summer?
• What will my health be like this summer?

If I don’t exercise, how will I look this summer? How will I feel this summer? What will my health be like this summer? Most people find that this gives them a boost of motivation and reminds them of the benefits of exercise.

Once you’re motivated, you need to put things into action by changing your habits and routines. I want you to change your habits:

• Set new exercise goal
• Keep track
• Small actions
• Ask for help
• Weekly reward

Start fresh today with a goal for the summer. Keep it simple and maybe take a short walk three times a week - you can always make it more difficult. Once you start exercising, keep track of what you are doing to help you stay motivated. Remember the simple things that will help you succeed like taking your exercise clothes out the night before, keeping your gym bag in your car, or blocking out time on your calendar.

That ought to get you going, but to keep it up I want you to do two things. 1) Find someone who will encourage and support you. Family and friends are your best bet, but if you can’t find someone close, a phone or email buddy will also work. 2) Be good to yourself by coming up with a small weekly reward for sticking with your exercise program.