Boost Your Health? Play In The Beach…

Next time you take a few days off work, head for the coast. There is increasing evidence to suggest that if you want a healthy and revitalising break, you should choose a holiday beside the seaside. Here are more reasons why you should pack your bag and invite your family or friends to go to the beach with you.

Why a beach holiday is so good for you?

Sun shine.

The sun is also good for your skin (in small doses). The rays of the sun supply our skin with vitamin D and it has been shown this helps fight skin cancer and could help prevent multiple sclerosis. Aim for 15 minutes in direct sun per day. Bring your umbrella and wear sunscreen the rest of the day.

Swimming is good for the heart, seawater is good for the skin.

Sea air actually good for your health, and swimming is the best form of exercise; this is because you use every muscle in your body, and you get your heart pumping at a constant rate  too. Best of all, swimming is fun! It doesn’t feel at all like exercise. This alleviates boredom and helps you stick with it. Sea water is very good for your skin. Levels of salt are high in the sea and help to cleanse acne and tidy up permanent scars.

Get off the treadmill and take a jog on the beach.

Restricting your running routine exclusively to pavements and treadmills can increase the risk of impact injury as your feet and joints rebound of the hard surface. Jogging on any terrain provides aerobic benefits and burns calories. However, combining this exercise with the beach diversifies the benefits of your workout. The sandy terrain, fresh air, crashing sound of the waves and sunlight contribute to your jogging experience.
Jogging on wet sand is easier than jogging on dry sand. Wet sand resembles harder surfaces like grass or pavement. Water molecules from the ocean are attracted to sand and form a hard surface. When jogging on dry sand, grains of sand move freely and shift with your weight. Thus, jogging on the beach in dry sand creates a more intense workout than jogging on other hard surfaces.

Walking on the beach.

Walking in sand requires a greater effort than walking on a hard surface. Your muscles and tendons will work harder as your foot moves around. Don’t forget that one of the many benefits of walking is that walking is relaxing so don’t forget to stop and pick up a pretty shell, look at people playing in the surf, and notice there’s always changing colors of the water and the sky.

The family that plays together, stay together!

The beach is also a healthy activity for families. Physically and mentally, there are many health benefits gained by going to the beach as a family. Spending time together as a family strengthens bonds. Children whose parents spend time with them have a sense of security and belonging essential to mental health. At the beach, there are no distractions to keep Mom and Dad from spending precious time with their children. There are so many games you can play at the beach with your kids:

• Building sand castles is a great way to spend a productive day at the beach. It takes a lot of skill to build a sand castle, but that skill can be easily learned with a little patience and some dedication.
• Another great game to play with kids at the beach is kite flying. For your kids, buy some nice and colorful kites that they can fly on their own. You can also build and design the kids’ kites to make it extra special.
• Frisbee is a simple but effective way of getting you moving, strengthening muscles and using up energy.

Relaxation.

There’s nothing like the beach that can calm a racing mind. When was the last time you sat back and relaxed? If you say that you can’t remember, your stress levels are probably up to the roof. And that’s bad. High stress levels release toxins in the body that can lead to various kinds of health problems. Going to the beach can instantly soothe your psyche. Simply staring at the waves crash on the sand – you can immediately get the gratifying relaxation that you badly need.

For me, having a foot massage on the beach or slurping coconut water is the real relaxation

Beach can always release my “happy hormone” endorphins.

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