Protecting Our Skin During All Summer Activities

Living in the mountains, summer is not all about water sports for us. While my kids definitely love splashing around, one of our favorite non-water related summer activities is hiking through the beautiful North Carolina mountains and enjoying the stunning views. Even though we have the added benefit of shade during this favorite activity, sunscreen is still a vital part of our fun. While this post is sponsored by Banana Boat®, all opinions are my own.

Growing up as a beach girl, I was resistant of moving to the mountains (to say the least). I worried about what I would do in place of sitting on the beach, soaking in the rays. When my hubby suggested that hiking might be my new past time, I was doubtful. After all, getting hot and sweaty just to climb a mountain wasn’t at the top of my list of things to do. Especially during the summer months. But as the saying goes, don’t knock it till you try it…so I decided to test it out. Well, that was almost nine years ago and today, hiking with my family is one of my favorite summer activities.

So what is it that’s so appealing about climbing up a mountain to us? Let’s start with the solitude of it. While it seems like everyone in the mountains does love to hike, being able to go out on a hot day and bask in the shade of the trees on some abandoned trail is really just amazing.

To have my boys by my side and an open rode in front of me with no expectation where we’ll end up is exhilarating! It’s makes my blood sing and my skin tingle. Because when you start on that brand new path, you have no idea where your adventure will take you.

Some days you may end up in an open field. Other days you may find the most extraordinary view you’ve ever experienced. And on that rare occasion, when you’re really lucky, you may just find a beautiful waterfall nestled on the side of the mountain.

In those moments of exploration and discovery, I’ve been able to find a new type of fun with my family. A type of fun that allows us to sit quietly as the water spray gently touches our skin. A type that encourages the making of new memories and the savoring of moments that will never happen again.

And a type of fun that doesn’t require over the top excitement but simply allows us to connect with each other and with nature in a way that this often too busy world rarely allows.

While our destination almost always ends up being new and unexpected, I can ensure that I’m ready for whatever fun we happen to find with the help of Banana Boat® sunscreen. You see, while I used to think that hiking in the shade of the trees was plenty of protection for my family’s skin, I’ve learned that sun protection is important even when you’re in the shade!

And I’m ensuring nothing stops my family’s summer fun in the shade or the sun by including Banana Boat® in all our outdoor activities!

I recently learned that protecting my family’s skin requires a little advance planning. Because while we can always find a new trail to explore without any notice, one thing we can’t do without prior planning is protect our skin during our outdoor activities. Knowing now that we need to apply 1 ounce of sunscreen to each child approximately 30 minutes before going outside, we’ve started doing our pre-application at home instead of waiting till we arrive at our destination.

And even more importantly we’ve been remembering to take Banana Boat® Kids™ SPF 50 Sunscreen with us as we hike so that we can reapply every two hours for maximum skin protection.

Because while every new adventure in the mountains may be unexpected, the appearance of the sun peeping between the trees is not. But since I have the guarantee that Banana Boat® sunscreen will protect in conditions that include getting crazy sweaty hot, I can rest assured that instead of being left with sunburns and long lasting skin damage, the only thing our summer fun is pointing us towards are great family memories!

Tell me, what are your favorite outdoor summer activities?

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Banana Boat® . The opinions and text are all mine.