Seashells, blue water and golden sand. The beach is a wonderful place to spend a day away from home. Before you head out to the beach, be sure to pack all the essentials in your beach bag.
To help have the perfect beach day, you’ll need sunglasses to protect your eyes, sunscreen to protect your skin, water to keep you hydrated, a first aid kit in case something goes wrong and snacks to help sustain your hunger.
1. Sunglasses
These fashion accessories can do more for you than add extra style to your outfit. Sunglasses help protect your eye against UV rays. Extended exposure to UV rays can cause eye damage including cataracts, macular degeneration and eye or eyelid cancer.
When you pick a pair of sunglasses, they should protect your eyes from 99 to 100 percent of the sun’s UV rays to prevent damage.
2. Sunscreen
No day at the beach is complete without sunscreen. Sunscreen protects the skin from the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) radiation. The sun emits UVA and UVB radiation. UVA is the longer wave of UV ray and causes lasting skin damage such as skin aging and skin cancer. UVB is the shorter wave of UV ray and causes sunburns, skin damage and can also cause skin cancer.
The sun protection factor (SPF) measures a sunscreen’s availability to prevent UVB damage to the skin. SPF 15 filters out approximately 93 percent of all incoming UVB rays; SPF 30 keeps out 97 percent; and SPF 50 keeps out 98 percent. When picking a sunscreen to put in your beach bag, check to see if it is broad-spectrum. Broad-spectrum sunscreen will protect against both UVA and UVB rays. Sunscreen should also be reapplied every 30 minutes.
3. Water
While this may seem like an obvious thing to bring to the beach, it is also very important. Sitting in the sun at the beach will cause you to sweat which means you will need to replenish your body with more water. Not doing so can lead to dehydration or even heat exhaustion. Signs that you are dehydrated are dry mouth, fatigue, extreme thirst, headache and dizziness.
To keep water cool throughout the day, freeze half a bottle of water the night before and fill the bottle up with cold water before you leave for the beach.
4. First aid kit
While a first aid kit may also seem like an obvious choice, it is also an important item that should be in your beach bag. Things that should be in your first aid kit are bandages of various sizes, disinfecting wipes, latex gloves and antibiotic gel.
Instant ice packs and pain relief medicine are both useful if someone has an injury. Tweezers are also useful in case someone gets a splinter. Aloe vera gel is also good to have in the event of sunburns. Other things that may prove to be useful in your first aid kit are hand sanitizer, tape, allergy medicine, cotton balls, swabs and hydrocortisone ointment.
5. Snacks
Snacks can be a great way to save money and keep you and your family in the perfect beach spot as long as you want. Instead of packing junk food that may leave you sluggish and bloated, pack healthy snacks that will taste good and give you lasting energy. Pack dried fruits and nuts for protein.
Fresh fruit is also a great healthy snack. Fruits like watermelon and grapes contain water and can help you stay hydrated. Veggies such as carrots and bell peppers are also a great snack because they can help you stay hydrated.
The beach is a great place to relax and spend time with family. Bringing sunglasses, sunscreen, water, a first aid kit and snacks to the beach can help keep you healthy while you soak up the sun.
