Let's be healthy outdoors
By Contributor
After driving from Rossland to Nelson for 15 years, two days a week, Dr. Brenda Gill has decided to pass on her Nelson practice to Dr. Christi Hartman. Hartman graduated from CCNM, the Canadian naturopathic school in Toronto and joined our office during the fall of this year and will take ownership of the practice August 1.
Gill is going to miss her patients in the Heritage City but those 12 hour days in Nelson were starting to take its toll.
Hartman is excited to meet you and plans to continue with the same style of naturopathic care you have been experiencing over the years.
Dr. Gill, however, still plans to give advice in her blog in The Nelson Daily and other papers in the Lone Sheep Publishing chain in Rossland, Castlegar, Trail and Grand Forks as well as continuing to see patients in the Golden City from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday.
Today, Dr. Gill focuses on being healthy outdoors.
Now that it’s finally summer with that intense sunshine again, many of us are taking advantage of the weather & are outside as much as possible.
Whether walking in the woods, mountain biking, golfing, fishing, swimming or tennis, it’s better to prevent common problems and be ready for incidents as they occur.
Hopefully, this should give you some useful tips! Also, for those nasty little incidents, the following should also help!
Preventatively
· Protect yourself against skin damage by increasing your sources of beta-carotene either by eating more green leafy and orange/yellow/red veggies such as kale/swiss chard/spinach/cilantro/parsley or including carrots/squash/peppers in your diet.
Otherwise, to prevent burning consider a beta-carotenesupplement. These all act as anti-oxidants that pick up free radicals that are produced when exposed to UV radiation and remove them from the body, thus, preventing burning/damage. Similar to beta-carotene is Vitamin Athat I use in drop form.
· Vitamin E, Vitamin C and other bioflavinoidsare also anti-oxidants that act like a sunscreen. Vit E is high in fish/nuts & seeds, Vit C & other bioflavinoids in any brightly coloured fruit such as cherries/berries or plums. These can also be supplemented. As you know reading my articles, it is best to have natural forms and Vit C needs to be a neutral source, in other words, not citrus based.
If you use a citrus based Vit C it will make you acidic which will decrease the body’s ability to get rid of inflammation and metabolites such as lactic acid.
· Eyesare also susceptible to sun damage, which can cause lens damage over time. Consider wearing properly UV protected sunglasses when in the direct sun. Also, Vitamin Chelps to make collagen, which repairs and maintains the lens.
· It is also important to have a certain amount of sunlightin the retina to help set our levels of hormones like melatonin and serotonin. Therefore, refrain from wearing sunglasses part of the time so some natural light enters the eye. It’s good to get at least 20 minutes outside everyday and the best time of day is during the early morning/late afternoon, when there is less intensity from the sun.
· Try to mix one-sided sports like golf and tennis with activities that re-balancethe muscles and alignment of the body like walking, hiking, swimming and yoga.
· Regular stretchingand a variety of activities prevent any muscle group to be strained. It’s good to rotate biking with running for instance.
· Always carry sufficient water and foodfor the intended activity. Try NOT to depend on quick replacements like sugar syrups.
If necessary, at least use high protein bars such as the “Organic Food Bar” or bars with high amounts of seeds or nut/seed butters and some type of protein powder such as hemp or almond.
I stay away from soy protein unless it is organic, due to the genetic modification and chemicals and cow whey, since it can be inflammatory.
· It’s best to eat a combination of real foods. Remember to drink ½ your weight in ounces/day. So, if you are 140’ you should be drinking 70 ounces of water/day or about 7 glasses. For every hour of exercise, you need another glass.
· Be prepared for changes of weather with proper clothing layers and a wide brimmed sun hat.
These should give you some helpful hints for the summer!
Please don’t hesitate to come into the office to pick up what you need. If you need more specific information about skin protection or treating physical injuries, please make an appointment with:
Dr. Brenda Gill can now be reached in Rossland at 250-362-5035
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