Protection Needed For All Runners

Wednesday, May 28, 2014 · Mike Davis

Good morning! This chat will be fairly short but very important. I have been taken the liberty every opportunity possible to encourage people to wear sunscreen protection and now I am going to offer some assistance. Below is are results from Consumer Report on which sunscreens offer the best protection. Trust me, I am determined to do a much better job with sun protection beginning immediately. Until recently I have not used sunscreen all the time or applied it correctly. Being bothered with such a dumb chore always deterred me, but now the evidence is far too overwhelming. Skin cancer is one of the biggest killers in the United States and despite living in New Hampshire where the sun can be scarce, we still have enough exposure to legitimately worry about. Between smart attire and the correct sunscreen we have the tools to give us considerable protection. There are better options for sunscreen available in other countries and one can only hope that the FDA will eventually approve these for use in the US. Until then here is an excerpt from an article I read that rates the best protection we have currently have available to us: Shedding light on sunscreens Consumer Reports researchers tested 20 sunscreens and found some products delivered less than half the promoted SPF, or sun protection factor. The magazine recommended seven sunscreens for providing "good to excellent" protection against sunburn, as well as blocking the broad spectrum of both UVA and UVB rays: -- Banana Boat -- BullFrog WaterArmor Sport InstaCool SPF 50 (provides full SPF promised on the label) -- Coppertone Sensitive Skin SPF 50 (provides full SPF promised on the label) -- Equate (Walmart) -- Neutrogena -- Up & Up (Target) -- Well (Walgreens) I hope that you take this issue as serious as I (finally) do. Make sunscreen as big a part of your pre-run routine as your dynamic stretching! Have a great day and make it better by going for a run! Mike