So! Considering I've been recovering from a cold/sinus "thing" this past week, it seemed befitting to tie in a health and well-being post this week!
My Week 14 video consists of a "What's in my wardrobe? Health Kit Edition" and I will leave product descriptions and links at the very bottom of this post.
Aside from this though I thought it would be appropriate to share how you can look after yourself here! Before we begin however I feel it is very necessary to warn you against popping pills unless you are out of options! A good example is taking Paracetamol and Ibuprofen for hangovers (which I know a lot of people do). The more frequently you take them, the less effective they become, so take them only when a headache/body pain etc is due to something other than dehydration! Your body - and emotional state - will thank you for it later, trust me! The standard dosage here is higher too so you really do not want to be necking them regularly. I brought six paracetamol with me and they lasted me three months (within date of course). I then bought more this week when I was ill to stop my temperature rising and falling all the time. For four days I took two at the beginning of the day, and it would be sufficient to last the day. I have two left. It's normal Paracetamol and I bought it over the counter for R$4.30 (£1.50?) at the local Pharmacy.
My second lecture is sun protection! You cannot be too careful here, or in South America in general! The O-Zone layer is a lot thinner here and so the sun is that much stronger. If you are fair-skinned, be sure to use a high factor sun cream. I'm olive skinned and burned within ten minutes of being out in 35-40C heat. This was on my way to buy sun cream; I have Factor 30 and still have to re-apply it a couple of times if I'm on the beach for the afternoon in 25-30C heat. You don't want to let sun burn ruin your time here!!
Anyway! On with the normal stuff:
Skin: when I first arrived here, my skin was kind of bad. But one week in salty ocean air and my skin cleared, and even now it's more or less clear all the time. When of course it's not sweaty from the humidity... Yum! I have moisturiser (see my video), but I don't actually use it half as much as I do back home because of the ocean/humid air. Even blowing my nose multiple times this week hasn't had its effect on my nose skin because of the difference of air.
Being on the island has been a health boost on all levels! Not only is my skin looking better, but my diet is much healthier. Try as I might, there is just no chocolate flavoured goodie that takes my fancy here, so I barely snack as much as I would back home. Bring on the Christmas belly in December baby! In supermarkets, it is also very easy to buy decent fruit and vegetables for fair prices as well along with different types of carbohydrates, like pasta, filled with fibre. It is really easy to lead a healthy diet here. Even if their variety does let it down, just a tad.
On your Year Abroad - and especially in a culture so different from your own - it is important to maintain a balanced diet. You cannot live off ready meals! They're full of salt, taste of salt and they're very bad for you: because of the amount of salt in them! I remember being told before we went to Peru that we shouldn't eat any fresh fruit or veg and I won't lie, for the first couple of days I did wonder the same about the food here... But it's all nonsense! Just make sure you wash anything fresh before you cook it :)
There is a lot of physical exercise to be done here as well! Apparently this is not as regular in other parts of Brazil, but there gyms a-plenty here in Floripa. Ones you can sign up to and plenty of outdoor free to use stations dotted around the place too! And then of course there are the many sports you can get involved with! Too many water-sports for me to name as well as Dune Boarding, cycling and hiking. Not forgetting that buses are not particularly regular so it is usually a lot quicker and less hassle to walk everywhere anyway. And nothing is too close so by the time you've got somewhere you've walked a significant distance.
Of course there is also the many types of dance you can do here (check out the "Dance and the Nut" page under the "More" tab).
If there is any personal medication that you regularly take or need, be sure to stock up on it as there may be a chance you cannot buy it here. Although doctors and methods are good here, they may have something different prescribed (a Latin American equivalent) and you just never know if your body will react to it the same.
If I think of anything else I will add to this post :) Be safe!! And long health to you!!
My Week 14 video consists of a "What's in my wardrobe? Health Kit Edition" and I will leave product descriptions and links at the very bottom of this post.
Aside from this though I thought it would be appropriate to share how you can look after yourself here! Before we begin however I feel it is very necessary to warn you against popping pills unless you are out of options! A good example is taking Paracetamol and Ibuprofen for hangovers (which I know a lot of people do). The more frequently you take them, the less effective they become, so take them only when a headache/body pain etc is due to something other than dehydration! Your body - and emotional state - will thank you for it later, trust me! The standard dosage here is higher too so you really do not want to be necking them regularly. I brought six paracetamol with me and they lasted me three months (within date of course). I then bought more this week when I was ill to stop my temperature rising and falling all the time. For four days I took two at the beginning of the day, and it would be sufficient to last the day. I have two left. It's normal Paracetamol and I bought it over the counter for R$4.30 (£1.50?) at the local Pharmacy.
My second lecture is sun protection! You cannot be too careful here, or in South America in general! The O-Zone layer is a lot thinner here and so the sun is that much stronger. If you are fair-skinned, be sure to use a high factor sun cream. I'm olive skinned and burned within ten minutes of being out in 35-40C heat. This was on my way to buy sun cream; I have Factor 30 and still have to re-apply it a couple of times if I'm on the beach for the afternoon in 25-30C heat. You don't want to let sun burn ruin your time here!!
Anyway! On with the normal stuff:
Skin: when I first arrived here, my skin was kind of bad. But one week in salty ocean air and my skin cleared, and even now it's more or less clear all the time. When of course it's not sweaty from the humidity... Yum! I have moisturiser (see my video), but I don't actually use it half as much as I do back home because of the ocean/humid air. Even blowing my nose multiple times this week hasn't had its effect on my nose skin because of the difference of air.
Being on the island has been a health boost on all levels! Not only is my skin looking better, but my diet is much healthier. Try as I might, there is just no chocolate flavoured goodie that takes my fancy here, so I barely snack as much as I would back home. Bring on the Christmas belly in December baby! In supermarkets, it is also very easy to buy decent fruit and vegetables for fair prices as well along with different types of carbohydrates, like pasta, filled with fibre. It is really easy to lead a healthy diet here. Even if their variety does let it down, just a tad.
On your Year Abroad - and especially in a culture so different from your own - it is important to maintain a balanced diet. You cannot live off ready meals! They're full of salt, taste of salt and they're very bad for you: because of the amount of salt in them! I remember being told before we went to Peru that we shouldn't eat any fresh fruit or veg and I won't lie, for the first couple of days I did wonder the same about the food here... But it's all nonsense! Just make sure you wash anything fresh before you cook it :)
There is a lot of physical exercise to be done here as well! Apparently this is not as regular in other parts of Brazil, but there gyms a-plenty here in Floripa. Ones you can sign up to and plenty of outdoor free to use stations dotted around the place too! And then of course there are the many sports you can get involved with! Too many water-sports for me to name as well as Dune Boarding, cycling and hiking. Not forgetting that buses are not particularly regular so it is usually a lot quicker and less hassle to walk everywhere anyway. And nothing is too close so by the time you've got somewhere you've walked a significant distance.
Of course there is also the many types of dance you can do here (check out the "Dance and the Nut" page under the "More" tab).
If there is any personal medication that you regularly take or need, be sure to stock up on it as there may be a chance you cannot buy it here. Although doctors and methods are good here, they may have something different prescribed (a Latin American equivalent) and you just never know if your body will react to it the same.
If I think of anything else I will add to this post :) Be safe!! And long health to you!!
Products that made cameos:
*"Vaseline".
*"Simple" Moisturiser.
*"After Bite"
*"Pansoral" - a cream for mouth sores. (A Spanish brand).
*"Leti-Balm" - good for dry lips or dry skin around your nose.
http://www.shopmania.co.uk/women-cosmetics/p-letibalm-nose-lips-repair-balm-10ml-25388966
*PLasters/Band Aids (standard, from Boots).
*Savalon
*Wound wash
*"Jungle Formula" - can be bought off the shelf in any Boots/SuperDrug shop. There's normally not a choice of level of protection but I have 5.
*"Lipsore" - Lip sore cream. Can be bought from any Boots/SuperDrug store for about £2.50.
*Paracetamol - see post above for details.
*Sun protection: Nivea Factor 30 (bought here; saves luggage space and a couple of £££); Nivea Lip Protection (a little more pricey; from SuperDrug).
*Toothpaste and toothbrush, duh! See why I got a regular toothbrush in the video.
*Toothfloss - SuperDrug.
*Perfume. I have a small travel sized bottle that can be cushioned easily between clothes.
*"Tresemmé" Heat Hair Protector Spray - not sure where to get it here - about £4 from SuperDrug.
*Deodorant. I stocked up on my own from home because I thought they wouldn't have it here. I was on this occasion proven correct.
*Iron tablets; all natural ingredients. I bought this bottle from a health shop on the ground floor in the Iguatemi Shopping Centre called "Mundo Verde". Just ask for "comprimidos de ferro" and they should know what you mean. Same with Iron and Vitamin tablets though! I took these (one a day) for a month, and after that stopped using them because I knew my body no longer needed them. So please do not take these for the sake of it! If you take these and find you need to pee more, it's because you no longer or don't need them!! Please be careful and respectful of your bodys needs!!
**One thing I didn't put in my video was MouthWash. You can get very good deals on "Listerine" mouth wash here (about R$13 for two big bottles (£4), so don't bother bringing any over. Save the suitcase space!
*"Vaseline".
*"Simple" Moisturiser.
*"After Bite"
*"Pansoral" - a cream for mouth sores. (A Spanish brand).
*"Leti-Balm" - good for dry lips or dry skin around your nose.
http://www.shopmania.co.uk/women-cosmetics/p-letibalm-nose-lips-repair-balm-10ml-25388966
*PLasters/Band Aids (standard, from Boots).
*Savalon
*Wound wash
*"Jungle Formula" - can be bought off the shelf in any Boots/SuperDrug shop. There's normally not a choice of level of protection but I have 5.
*"Lipsore" - Lip sore cream. Can be bought from any Boots/SuperDrug store for about £2.50.
*Paracetamol - see post above for details.
*Sun protection: Nivea Factor 30 (bought here; saves luggage space and a couple of £££); Nivea Lip Protection (a little more pricey; from SuperDrug).
*Toothpaste and toothbrush, duh! See why I got a regular toothbrush in the video.
*Toothfloss - SuperDrug.
*Perfume. I have a small travel sized bottle that can be cushioned easily between clothes.
*"Tresemmé" Heat Hair Protector Spray - not sure where to get it here - about £4 from SuperDrug.
*Deodorant. I stocked up on my own from home because I thought they wouldn't have it here. I was on this occasion proven correct.
*Iron tablets; all natural ingredients. I bought this bottle from a health shop on the ground floor in the Iguatemi Shopping Centre called "Mundo Verde". Just ask for "comprimidos de ferro" and they should know what you mean. Same with Iron and Vitamin tablets though! I took these (one a day) for a month, and after that stopped using them because I knew my body no longer needed them. So please do not take these for the sake of it! If you take these and find you need to pee more, it's because you no longer or don't need them!! Please be careful and respectful of your bodys needs!!
**One thing I didn't put in my video was MouthWash. You can get very good deals on "Listerine" mouth wash here (about R$13 for two big bottles (£4), so don't bother bringing any over. Save the suitcase space!