Easy Keys to VIBRANT HEALTH!

These simple strategies help ward off common warm-weather health hassles so you can enjoy the sunny days!

“[Probiotics] make a huge difference with digestion and the foods I eat. I have it every day.”

Dana Delany, 62

The sun is finally shining and the last thing you want is to miss out on outdoor fun because you’re sidelined by seasonal concerns like food poisoning or sunburn. The good news? “There are terrific natural ways to protect your health and boost your energy,” says Prudence Hall, M.D., founder of The Hall Center in Santa Monica, Calif. Read on for the tips that can help you feel your best!

TO FOIL FOOD POISONING

After age 50, the immune system is less able to fight the bad bacteria that cause food poisoning. But taking a probiotic that contains lactobacillus can help. The good bugs dampen inflammation and crowd out any germs trying to get a toehold in your GI tract. Researchers at the University of Kansas say this lowers the food-poisoning risk by up to 75 percent, plus cuts recovery time in half if you do fall ill.

TO FEND OFF MUSCLE PAIN

Walking around outside barefoot for 10 minutes a day helps prevent muscle aches for up to 72 percent of women — and it can cut recovery time by 45 percent if you’re already achy, say researchers at the University of Connecticut. How? Going barefoot on grass or sand stimulates acupressure points that encourage the release of the painkilling brain chemical serotonin, plus relax tight muscles and improve blood circulation to the extremities so muscles are less likely to be strained during motion.

TO PREVENT SUNBURN

Enjoying 1 cup of cooked tomatoes daily can heighten your skin’s natural defenses against UV light, reducing your risk of redness and damage by up to 33 percent. According to researchers at Tufts University, the lycopene in tomatoes soaks into skin cells, where it acts like an internal sunscreen, shielding skin from UV damage and improving its texture and health.

TO FIGHT FOOT FUNGUS

Fungus grows like wildfire on sweaty feet, leading to athlete’s foot for many of us. But soaking feet in lemongrass tea twice a week can reduce the risk by up to 83 percent, say investigators reporting in The Brazilian Journal of Infectious Diseases. The researchers explain that the active ingredient in lemongrass kills fungal cells on contact. To do: Simmer 2 lemongrass tea bags in 16 oz. of water for 20 minutes; remove tea bags and mix the tea in 4 cups of hot water. Soak feet for 15 minutes, then dry well.