As October rolls around in the east and north, the weather gets both colder and bolder. And the athletes among us Yankees start to shift some of our athletic activities indoors. However that doesn’t mean every outdoor sport gets mothballed for the season up here. We hearty folk will frolic outside till long after the first snow flies and the first lakes freeze.
What isn’t easy to remember though is that the sun doesn’t take any seasons off, either. It’s always there; through the rain, sleet, snow and overcast days. This means that even when it’s so cold your thermometer needs a sweater, you can still incur sun skin damage from the UV Rays that can penetrate any kind of cloud cover or precipitation. It also means that the need for sunscreen application is just as important when porches are covered in Jack O’ Lanterns, cornucopias and plastic reindeer as it is when the rockets glare red on Independence Day.
Autumn means football, of course. And throughout much of fall it’s still warm enough to play sandlot games in shirtsleeves; or perhaps those (sheer) team jerseys. Without sunscreen though, after just an hour or so in the park you’ll begin to notice the telltale signs of sunburn. That can easily be prevented by applying it ahead of time, and even more so if you opt to wear a Sundicators Wristband. The same holds true for soccer and those autumn softball leagues, as well.
But autumn isn’t just for the more familiar sports. It’s also a time in which we head for the walking paths; along with the hiking trails, hills and mountains. And the reason is that it’s the best time of year to take advantage of the cooler, more comfortable temperatures. Also, in October and November canoes and kayaks are still launched out upon our rivers and lakes. Even the Atlantic Ocean is a popular spot for watercraft in this, the latter part of the year.
In fact, for these latter types of activities, it may even be extra important to monitor your skin and maintain the proper level of sunscreen. Because when out on the water, there’s nowhere for us to go to escape harmful sun exposure. And while walking or hiking, the occasional tree cover isn’t anywhere near enough of an obstacle for those UV rays to get through. Deeper into the season snow will likely accumulate, and sunlight reflects off of it right back onto us. There really is no time of year when we can, if you’ll pardon the pun, take the sun lightly.
And by the way, we’re not ignoring the residents of warmer climates in this particular post. It’s just that since they don’t see anything close to the difference in seasons that northerners do, it’s easier for them to remember the sun is there when it’s constantly bearing down.
So with autumn here and winter approaching, please continue to keep sunscreen and Sundicators on hand. Remember that whatever season you find yourself in, if you’re outside, so is the sun. And it can reach you and will cause skin damage if you are not careful.
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