Self-Care Tips & Win a Bayer Prize Pack worth $250

(Read to the end for an awesome giveaway!)

I once attended a presentation as part of a course I was taking where the speaker critiqued the self-help industry, making a point of how selfish it is of us to spend so much time focused inward. While there were nuggets I agreed with (some hours spent obsessing over self-improvement could be better spent doing things for others) but I still feel strongly about the fact that there are many aspects of ourselves that we have to take care of, especially to keep us healthy and energized in order to get all those other good things done in this world (marriage, parenting, and the important work we all do, whether paid or volunteer).

Monday, July 24^th is International Self-Care Day, when we can take a moment to focus on doing things to maintain our overall health and well-being (when we’re not celebrating our bunny Thumper’s first birthday. Okay, maybe that’s not on your calendar but it’s all I’m hearing about these days!)

Here are some tips for making the rest of 2017 as healthy and successful as possible.

• Reflect on your goals
  • For many of us, we set resolutions in January, and while some of them last, they can often fall by the wayside come summer. Partway through summer holidays, it’s time for me to think about my new-school-year goals, and what I’m hoping to accomplish both at work and at home. They say that making goals public can help keep you accountable, so here it is: I’m working on a book. Push me, people!
• Reflect on your health
  • With summer well underway, it’s important to reflect on your self-care routine for your body. Has it been a while since you’ve visited the dentist, or eye doctor? Now might also be the time to make sure you are scheduling all your regular screenings with your doctor, including screening for skin cancer. Self-care routines are important year-round and it is crucial to wear sunscreen and follow other sun protection measures, like wearing long-sleeved shirts, pants, a hat and sunglasses, to protect your skin from cancer-causing UV rays (and yes, for vanity. I can’t believe how quickly my summer sun spots return each year!) When used as directed with other sun protection measures, Coppertone® ClearlySheer® SPF 50 Body Lotion and ClearlySheer® SPF 50 Face Lotion help protect your skin from invisible ultraviolet rays; even better they’re light and breathable, go on leaving a matte finish, and don’t clog your pores! It’s important to wear your sunscreen every day, even if it’s cloudy because UV rays can still penetrate clouds! On the other hand, when the sun is out, you are getting the full impact of UVA/UVB rays so be careful!

• Reflect on your sleep schedule
  • Stress can cause all sorts of bad things, including a lack of sleep. To help clear your mind ahead of your bedtime, experts suggest turning off all electronics at least an hour before you go to bed (I know, a lofty goal, but I try), and instead focus on some bedtime reading! I also like to write down any worries or to-dos that pop into my mind before my head hits the pillow so I can let them go as I  sleep. If you find that your tired eyes are feeling a bit dry and sore, try out hydraSense® Eye Drops as a convenient lubricating solution with no preservatives to help relieve your symptoms.

• Reflect on your nutrition (stop laughing, friends)
  • Lastly, a big part of self-care comes from nutrition. Up to 60 per cent of Canadians fall short in getting important nutrients from food alone. Yes, I am one of them, I admit it. To complement your diet, try One A Day® Gummies for daily nutritional support that has overall health needs in mind, like bone health*. I take these multivitamins every day, and I’ve been trying to make small nutritional changes, for example multigrain over white, where I can.

As part of the Bayer Blogger program, I recently received a box of goodies to get me through the second half of 2017, including a supercool solar charger – for all you outdoorsy folk, you don’t need electricity to charge your phones and other devices this summer! Now guess what? You can win this exact same box, worth over $250! I’m running the giveaway over on Facebook and Instagram (Canadians can enter once on each, ending Monday, July 24th at 9 p.m. Eastern). My apologies to friends who aren’t on either, but I’ve seen great success with Facebook and Instagram giveaways and will be doing a lot more of them…maybe it’s worth signing up?

*Helps in the development and maintenance of bones and teeth.

This post is sponsored by Bayer. To make sure these products are right for you, always read and follow the label.