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Being safe when you get out to enjoy the Spring and Summer

With summer walks just around the corner being safe is important.

Now that Spring has seemingly finally started to send winter away many people will be getting outdoors to walk, run, bike and hike.

These are all great activities and we are lucky enough to live in an area where scenic walks are not hard to find.

Of course as we move closer to summer and the weather gets better we will also be faced with more people out for their daily walks and much more traffic coming through the town.

Being safe while getting your daily dose of exercise is very important. One of the most important issues when out walking or running is the use of equipment which could block your hearing. Ear buds and head sets are so good today they can block out almost all noise and have the ability to take their listeners into their own world.

Although this is great when you want a little time to yourself there is the catch that you must rely on your other senses when the music is loud and you are focussed on your exercise.

I know there have been times I am guilty of enjoying the music a little too much.

Walking trails are also used by people who ride their bikes. As easy as it may be to see a car coming at you a bike coming up from behind is not so easy to hear.

Being aware of your surroundings in places with high traffic flow is vital to keep yourself safe.

The bubble we live in when we pop on our favourite tunes can contribute to accidents with terrible consequences.

But having the sound of the outside world blocked away is not the only thing you have to watch during the upcoming months.

As the temperature rises people need to make sure they take along some water or other liquids to keep themselves hydrated.

I have been told by some friends in the past to carry a water bottle when you walk or run is annoying but the last thing you want when out for a walk is to suffer the effects of dehydration. If being out on a bike is your preference for activity moving into summer then always remember to wear a helmet.

The days of rolling through any town without wearing one on your head has ended and it would seem for the best.

I know as a child I flipped my bike more than once and came home with the wounds from my day out.

Wearing a helmet just makes sense for children and adults who are going to go for a ride.

The last thing we have to deal with locally is the issue of mosquitos.

Last summer was my first time in a long time where I had to deal with this issue and I have to say as of now I have still not found a way to keep the little bugs from having lunch on me.

So if anyone out there has any good ideas on how to keep the local wildlife off of me I would be more than happy to hear you out because I do enjoy going for a walk, snapping some pictures and enjoying the natural beauty of the area we live in but I do not enjoy being bitten all day long.