Outdoor Safety Tips

While it is good to stay active during National Physical Fitness and Sports Month it is just as important to stay safe. Safety does not necessarily mean you have to live inside a bubble. You can go for a hike, take a bike ride or play a sport – all while staying safe. The key is to be cautious and mindful of your surroundings as you’re being active. Below we’ve outlined some outdoor safety tips you can use to stay active and safe.

Protecting your skin

Since it is spring, and summer is right around the corner it is nice to exercise outside. However, with the hot sun beaming directly on you, it is always a good idea to apply sunscreen before exercising outdoors. Sunscreen protects your skin from harmful ultraviolet light that can potentially give you a nasty sunburn.

Staying hydrated

Keeping your body hydrated is very important if you are doing physical activity in warm weather. As such, it is a good idea to drink plenty of fluids and go indoors occasionally to cool off. This can help prevent exhaustion and heat stroke.

Supervising children

Teachers should motivate students to go outside for a little bit of physical activity every day. A safe and fun activity for children to do outdoors is the jumping jack challenge. Jumping jacks use up a lot of energy and don’t require a lot of space. Competing to see who does the most will generate excitement among peers as well as get everyone moving.

One thing to note is that during a hot summer day, adults should be especially aware when supervising young children outside. Children sometimes don’t feel exhaustion until it is too late because they are having too much fun outside. Taking breaks from playtime to go get water will prevent dehydration from occurring.

For more information on Nation Physical Fitness and Sports Month, click here.

Article written by William Graves.