10 Things You Can Do To Stay Healthy While Getting Ready for Vacation

Vacations are always welcome as they take us away from our regular spaces and activities, letting us unwind while taking in scenic views and letting loose. It is therefore important to make sure that before setting out on the next vacation, our health is good and there are no underlying issues that may act up while we are away. If you need some tips for this, read the 10 things you can do to stay healthy before your next vacation below and draw inspiration from the list!

Treat Foot Injuries

A foot injury can occur during work-related activities, while doing projects around the home, or even while taking part in sports and recreational activities. The injury may also be major or minor, and depending on its severity, it can either be treated at home or taken to a specialist to help with.

Foot injuries include sprains and strains, whose symptoms include:

• Weakness, pain, and tenderness around your ankle or foot.
• There is a bruise or swelling on the injured part.
• You experience intense pain and numbness when you attempt to rest weight on the injured foot.
• You have cramps in the foot in question, with muscles tightening up all on their own.

If the injury is not a fracture, you can try at-home remedies outlined in the popular and effective “RICE” therapy which are:

• Resting the foot and not putting any weight on it, or attempting any exercise routines which can push the injury further.
• Applying an ice pack on the injury in periods of 20 minutes after every three or so hours.
• Compress your foot by applying a bandage to help reduce swelling and foster healing.
• Elevate your foot by placing it on a raised surface like a pillow to reduce the flow of fluid to the injured are.

If this does not work after a few days, you will have to go the hospital where an orthopedic will advise you on the next steps to take for your foot injury treatment.

Try a New Skin Treatment

Both your skin and hair can benefit from a revitalizing treatment, which will breathe new life into them and give you a healthy, youthful glow- a must for those holiday snaps! Here are some rejuvenating treatments you can get for your skin to reverse signs of aging as well as prevent damage:

• Chemical peels or chemo exfoliation which uses a combination of chemicals including salicylic acid, glycolic acid, and trichloroacetic acid. These work together to heal scars, reduce wrinkles, and dark spots as well leaving you with freshly exfoliated skin. It may take a few weeks to see the results which is why you need to do it before you travel.
• Dermabrasion, which uses a small rotating tool to remove the top layer of your skin and allow new layers to appear youthful and smooth. It treats issues deep under your skin and is done professionally by a dermatologist who first numbs your skin before starting the procedure.
• Laser resurfacing uses light and heat to remove the topmost layer of your skin while heating the underlying layer. This stimulates growth of collagen fiber which promotes an even skin tone and improves the texture of your skin.

There are many other treatments including micro dermabrasion, ultherapy skin tightening, and even facelifts and eyelid surgeries. While these are all minor treatments, they must be done with enough time allocated to letting you heal so you do not damage your skin further.

For your hair, you could seek out a great rejuvenating treatment which you can apply yourself at home and give your hair a fresh, lively look. This is an easy enough item in our list of 10 things you can do to stay healthy.

Go to the Orthodontist

We are fortunate to have many treatment options, and to get the one that will work best for you, you should make an appointment with an orthodontist. Some of the options you can choose from include:

• Traditional braces which consist of brackets affixed to the teeth and wires threaded through slots in the brackets. Other types of braces are traditional ceramic braces, self-ligating ceramic braces, and self-ligating metal braces. They all work by gently and constantly forcing your teeth to retain the correct shape.
• Clear aligners which are essentially clear, thin, plastic-like trays formed to fit your teeth. These come in a series, each of which is worn for two to three weeks and must be removed while eating, brushing, and flossing.
• Retainers, which are thin and clear, made from a flexible plastic-like material. They can either be fixed or removable, and they hold teeth in their new positions after they have undergone successful orthodontic treatment.

It is important to set aside the time to see an orthodontist because this is one of the 10 things you can do to stay healthy. The treatment options outlined above all take time, and consistent use will lead to the best results.

Get Rid of Mold

Mold is bad for your health and leads to an array of symptoms including sneezing, coughing, congestion, and even skin rashes. To make sure that you are completely healthy before setting off on vacation, make sure to get rid of any mold in your house using mold treatment services as another one of the 10 things you can do to stay healthy.

You may either call professionals if you find extensive instances of mold, or buy some treatments and do it yourself. If the cause of the mold is contaminated water, however, it is best to call in an expert who will take all the necessary precautions as they have the right tools.

If you decide to do it yourself, make sure you have the basic tools including a paintbrush, a respirator, safety glasses, rubber gloves, brushes, and a utility knife. You will also need bleach, garbage bags, an oil-based primer, and painter’s tape.

The procedure itself involves moistening moldy areas with a garden sprayer while working and turning off the air conditioning to avoid spores being blown about. Remove any moldy carpet and double seal it, then remove mold ridden insulation from the walls, moistening and bagging the moldy material. Next, vacuum up all debris and clean dispose of the filter afterwards.

Finally, scrub all moldy surfaces thoroughly with a solution of one quart water and half a cup of bleach to kill all the mold. Let these surfaces dry and then seal them with the oil-based primer to ensure the mold does not return.

Stock Up On Health Supplies

To make sure you are prepared to deal with any health emergency that comes up while you are at home, you need to stock up on health care equipment supplies and equipment. This is one of the most important of these 10 things you can do to stay healthy. These include a good thermometer, a weighing scale, an air purifier, a blood pressure monitor, an orthopedic heat belt, and a blood glucose meter. It is also a good idea to have bandages as well as heat and ice packs. These will help you avoid excessive trips to the hospital because when you know your basic health condition thanks to having the right equipment, you will know quite easily if you need to rush to the hospital or stay at home and perform some first aid first.

Having the relevant emergency medication at hand will also go a long way in keeping you healthy and well. Some medications that you should always have in your household include aspirins, antihistamines, decongestants or cough suppressants, acetaminophen or Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), antacids, and antibiotic ointments. Keeping these in the house will help you avoid having to go to the hospital or pharmacy when you are feeling less than ideal.

Repair Your Roof

A leaky roof predisposes you not only to health issues when the rain water drips in the house and creates a good environment for mold growth, but it is also a risk of property damage in case a part of it caves. That’s why roof repair is a part of the 10 things you can do to stay healthy before leaving for vacation. It has to have leaked for a very long time to get to this point, however, because homeowners generally make sure to repair leaks as soon as they appear.

If your roof is made of shingles which are the most common roofing material for modern houses, it is easy enough to diagnose and repair a leaky roof. You should note the leaking area inside the house then go out and look for the corresponding area on the roof. This should be visible through binoculars as missing, cracked, or curled shingles, or where shingles butt.

Re-secure any curled up shingles by applying roofing cement to the under side of the shingle and then pressing it firmly down to allow it to set. Replace broken, rotten and missing shingles by first removing the existing one if necessary and replacing it with a new one. If the leak is on the flashing around chimneys and dormer windows, you can easily reseal the joints with roofing cement in a caulk gun. If the situation seems too much for you, never hesitate to call a professional in.

Check On Your Car

The last thing you want to do is come back from a lovely vacation to a car that does not run. Avoid this by taking your car for maintenance or auto repair service if it is due, and fixing any broken things.

Depending on how long you will be vacationing for, you may also get someone to help move your car if you don’t have ample parking space for it in your garage or compound. This is better than let it stand in the street for weeks on end, bearing the brunt of harsh weather and taking up space.

Replace Auto Parts

This extension of the previous sub-heading, getting new auto parts, is an important thing to remember. Make sure to buy any new parts that your car needs so that it will be fully fixed and running when you go on vacation.

Do not wait until the last days to do this, but rather do it well in advance so that if any parts are difficult to source, you will have ample time to wait for them or source elsewhere for them.

Look Into Electrical Repair

Getting electrical repair services is another one of the 10 things you can do to stay healthy because electricity pretty much runs a major part of our lives. If you have any broken fixtures or pending electrical issues, get an electrician to service them for you.

This is one of the things for which a DIY approach is ill-advised, given the danger that comes with electricity. Unless you have the relevant training and adequate gear and tools, always let a professional handle your electrical problems.

Like with your car, you do not want to come back from vacation to discover you cannot charge your phones and cameras because the lights are out. Leaving unresolved electrical issues behind is also ill-advised, because in the worst case scenario that an electrical short occurs, it may burn the house down with no way to tell because there is no one to see the signs of impending doom.

Exterminate Pests

The last of the 10 things you can do to stay healthy before you go on vacation is wasp extermination. There are different types of wasps, coming in different sizes and colors. Their favorite places to build nests around your house are on soffits, gutters, and eaves, and they may have been attracted to your yard in the first place by flowers and improperly covered garbage cans.

While their stings are not life-threatening to people who don’t have an allergy, they can make it difficult to do yard work and other outdoor activities. To get rid of them yourself, wait for the coolest time of day when they are the least active and then while sufficiently covered, spray the nest with an insect aerosol or even regular WD-40.

If they have several nests or have a massive colony, however, the best option remains to call an expert to remove them for you. While rarely, dangerous, wasp stings are very painful and can easily overwhelm and confuse you when they attack you in large numbers.

A vacation is a great time to unwind, and having an underlying health issue or similar concern may prevent you from enjoying it to the fullest. For this reason, make sure to use this check list of 10 things you can do to stay healthy before you go on vacation, and make sure that when you go, you will be able to relax both your body and mind.