My Journey With Weight Loss – Protecting Yourself From the Sun

I had a great encounter yesterday. I had taken my brother’s SUV in to get some serious detailing and while they offered to drive me home I told them it was only 2 miles so I could walk. This is an area I normally don’t spend any time in and as I was walking a noticed a couple of older ladies walking towards me and thought the one in front looks familiar. As they walked by she turned and shouted out Gwenne? I realized in was the Mom of a good friend from high school and university. She said she almost didn’t recognize me and how thin I am. I explained about getting healthy and fit. She told me how fantastic I look and wished me good luck on my 10k training.

We here in the Metro Vancouver area are going through a heat wave so I thought it would be timely to talk about protecting yourself from the sun. For me, this is a really important topic and I want to make sure everyone takes it seriously. My Granny, back in the 1950’s, was diagnosed with a melanoma. She eventually lost a large portion of her calf muscle having the cancer removed. I should note, they told her that she would always walk with a limp but she eventually figured out that by wearing high heels her calf muscles shorten and therefore even at the time she passed away in her late 80’s she still wore at least 3 inch heels. I personally am very fair skinned and have a lot of moles. I noticed one day that a mole had changed quite dramatically in a short period so went to the walk in clinic to have it checked out. The doctor felt it was nothing but suggested if I was concerned to have my GP remove it and do a biopsy. My doctor complimented on me being concerned, turns out that mole was pre-cancerous. I drive my current GP a bit crazy as I always get her to check out any mole that I feel may be ‘suspicious’ but she agrees that I am high risk and being cautious is the best options.

With it being summer (when the sun is the strongest) and the heat wave happening I am back to my routine of protecting my skin. Before all of my walks/training I put on SPF 50 sunscreen. Other than my early morning walk, I always wear a brimmed hat and if the sun is out sunglasses are also involved.

To be clear, UV rays damage your skin regardless of whether it is fair or dark. Moreover, skin cancer doesn’t really care what the hue of your skin is, it can happen to anyone though someone like me is at a higher risk. Even when I sit in the shade if the sun is strong I am covered in sunscreen. This is such a simple thing we can all do to protect ourselves but is so imparative.

Finally, remember how dangerous heat stroke can be. Please remember to wear a hat and stay well hydrated. I’ve said before that I am not a fan of drinking plain water but let me assure you when I did my midday walk today I drank a bottle of water along the way and then had more fluids when I got home. Best of all, if you can avoid being out in the direct sun between 10am and 3pm even better. A tip though, if you are out walking learn your route and know which side of the street is going to provide you the most shade and least sun.