Are you an adventure enthusiast who enjoys spending time outdoors? Perhaps you’re an avid hiker, cyclist, or nature lover who loves the thrill of finding picturesque locations. Engaging in outdoor activities is incredibly exhilarating, but it’s crucial to prioritize your health and well-being while immersing yourself in nature.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover six essentials that ensure you remain in good health on your outdoor excursions. We want you to safely enjoy every outdoor activity you partake in and enjoy your body because it’s the only vessel you have.
From having electrolytes to carrying a first aid kit, keep reading to learn the six must-haves to remain healthy while engaging in outdoor activities.
- First Aid Kit
A portable, well-stocked first aid kit is a trusted and essential companion when venturing into the great outdoors. It ensures your safety and well-being in the trickiest situations.
Outdoor activities often lead to cuts, bruises, sprains, and other minor injuries. A first aid kit helps with pain and allergy management, setting breaks, treating cuts and bruises, and preventing further damage.
Your first aid kit should include:
- Pain Relievers
- Anti-inflammatory medicine
- Muscle rub
- Bandages
- Antiseptic wipes/spray
- Medical tape
- Small scissors
- Cotton rounds
- A backup of any medication you’re on
2. Bug and Mosquito Repellant
Even if you adore bugs, you must admit they sometimes ruin the experience. The last thing you want when enjoying an evening camp on a beautiful trail is to have your skin covered with painful bumps from mosquito bites.
While the bugs have every right to be outside because it’s their home, their stings, bites, and wings can cause you harm. Itchy bites lead to skin lesions, and some insects can cause catastrophic damage to your skin, eyes, or body.
That’s why a reliable bug and mosquito repellant is crucial to staying healthy when outdoors. Armed with this essential defence, you can ward off annoying and potentially dangerous critters and ensure you enjoy the outdoors.
3. Water
When enjoying outdoor activities, staying hydrated is crucial, after all, we are made mostly of water. Water regulates your body temperature, quenches your thirst, and replenishes essential electrolytes lost during physical exertion.
No one wants to end their hike in an ambulance rushing to the hospital for dehydration or finish a tennis lesson with blurred vision and swaying legs. Fill two reliable water bottles with water and take regular sips while you hike, cycle, walk, or play games. You can also opt for a backpack with a hydration sleeve.
4. Electrolytes
When partaking in outdoor activity, you can end up over-hydrated from drinking too much plain water or under-hydrated from not taking enough. Either of these leads to low sodium concentration and affects your performance.
Electrolytes help solve this problem and keep you healthy and strong enough to perform your best. They contain crucial minerals such as sodium, calcium, and magnesium, helping to maintain proper hydration levels, nerve impulses, and muscle function.
You can carry electrolyte packets and add to your water on the go, pre-mix them in your bottled water or hydration sleeve, or carry some electrolyte drinks.
3. Filling Snacks
Filling snacks are crucial to maintaining sustained energy levels during your outdoor escapades. You need snacks packed with carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats to keep you full, energized, and enjoying yourself.
Trail mix with nuts, small sandwiches, granola or protein bars, and dried fruits are all excellent options. Pack enough snacks depending on how long you plan on being outside and your energy expenditure.
4. Body Awareness
Whether you’re in a new place and are planning an outdoor trip to help you fully experience the location, or are planning to take a long hike in your state, it’s good to know your body well. The best way to do this is to have a body scan and consultation.
Many outdoor activities are particularly taxing on the body, especially when you do them regularly. Having energetic awareness of your body can help you properly plan your activities, reducing the chances of injuries or flare-ups.
Knowing your body well allows you to make the best decisions to keep it healthy, especially when engaging in outdoor activities. You’ll know whether to postpone, slow down, or take on a more challenging task.
Final Word
Outdoor activities are a fun way to commune with nature and move your body. However, it would help if you stayed healthy while doing so.
Hydrating with water and electrolytes, carrying a first aid kit and bug repellant, staying aware, and having filling snacks set you up for success. Whether you’re playing tennis, chasing your dog, hiking a trail, or going white water rafting, these six must-haves ensure you remain healthy.
