Protecting Your Body from the Sun

With students out of school, and the days lasting much longer, it’s safe to say summer is in full swing. This means it’s time for family vacations and day-long visits to the beach and the park. But with the warm weather and long sunny days come health risks many people either choose to ignore or simply just forget. Rising temperatures and the sun’s harsh rays can lead to immediate and long-term health problems. Here are some tips on how to protect yourself while enjoying your summer.

An Active NYC Summer

The sun is out, temperatures are up, and school is quickly coming to an end. The start of summer vacation is an exciting time, but it can also require an adjustment for many families. Kids are in school for most of the year, staying engaged mentally and physically in class and during after-school activities. With the start of the summer right around the corner, families have the perfect opportunity to introduce new routines that encourage healthy physical activity while enjoying time together.

Every Day is a New Opportunity

After all, we are creatures of habit, and old habits are hard to break. Our brain is so complicated! How else to explain our impulse – that urge to eat crispy French fries and a juicy double cheeseburger when we visit a McDonald’s, or to gobble down the freshly baked goods my colleagues often bring to work – despite knowing it goes against our own self-interest? Our brain is activated by these temptations because they signal reward. And we crave reward and comfort. But, I had to get back on track. Luckily, I had the tools to make it happen. No guilt trips this time around. I know the brain can be retrained. I had to change my environment, my routine, and repeat, repeat, repeat, to let the new cues do the work.

Volviendo a “The Heights” (Spanish Translation of “Back to the Heights”)

La idea de volver a Washington Heights –un vecindario muy especial para mí durante mi niñez– me llenaba de emoción ya que iba a impartir mi primer taller DASH de 2017, a solo unas cuadras del apartamento en el que mi tía Pat me inculcó el amor por una alimentación saludable y el ejercicio como estilo de vida.