Exercising outdoors can be a great way to stay fit and healthy, but it can also put you at risk of sun-related skin damage. To protect yourself from the sun's harmful UV rays, it's important to wear sunscreen when doing outdoor fitness activities. Broad-spectrum sunscreens with an SPF greater than 30 should be applied half an hour before going outside and reapplied every hour or more often if it's sunny, if you swim or sweat. It can be difficult to find the right sunscreen for your needs, but there are some tips that can help.
Wearing a hat or visor to protect the forehead and sunglasses to protect the eyes is a good way to avoid sunscreen getting in your eyes when you sweat. Additionally, portable sunscreen bars are perfect for long sweat sessions and aquatic workouts, as they can be easily reapplied. Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States, affecting approximately one in five Americans. Melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, has been on the rise over the past forty years, even though we know that one of the main causes is excessive exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
Sunburn is our best method for measuring excessive exposure to UV rays and can be prevented by adopting sunscreen behaviors such as wearing protective clothing and seeking or creating shade during the hours of greatest exposure to UV rays during the day. Physical activity is related to a 28% increase in the risk of melanoma, mainly through sunburn, rather than exercising directly. Research suggests that sunburn is closely related to physical activity and that the vast majority of people who unwittingly sunburned participated in sports or physical activities. Sun protection is crucial to prevent skin aging and pigmentation, as well as a decline in the immune system, eye damage and even skin cancer.
Sunscreen should be used even hours after you re-enter the house, making it an important part of any outdoor fitness routine.
