TOLL FREE 877 278 2142 USA
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TOLL FREE 877 278 2142 USA
TOLL FREE 844 776 3727 USA & CAN
Waves gently crashing along the shore. Sunlight streaming from a cloudless sky. Miles of seemingly-endless sand joining the horizon. Sounds pretty peaceful, doesn't it? And for many of us who spend most weekday hours indoors, it doesn't take much persuasion to peel off the layers and catch some sun.
But if you do need more reasons to hit the beach, find out how the surf, sun, and sand can boost your physical and mental health.
Look no further than the experts. In a study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology, author J. Aaron Hipp, Ph.D., environmental health expert and assistant professor at the Brown School, pointed to the restorative environment of the beach.
"Studies have shown that natural environments like beaches and waterfront parks offer more restorative benefits to people than gyms, entertainment venues and the built urban environment," said Hipp.
His study goes further to suggest that we require specific conditions in that beachside environment to achieve the fully-desired restorative effect.
"Mild temperature days and low tides offer the most restorative environments when visiting the beach," he said.
"Beachgoers visiting on a day nearly 3 degrees (F) warmer than average were 30 percent less likely to perceive the beach or coastal park as restorative, compared with those visiting on average or cooler than average days."
We all know the risks of too much sun exposure. But there are benefits to getting some rays, too.
When our skin is directly exposed to the sun, our bodies make vitamin D, a vital tool that helps with calcium absorption and building strong bones. Some of it comes from diet, but a good portion also comes from the sun. And according to the Mayo Clinic, as little as 10 minutes of sun exposure can provide us with our daily dose. According to the vitamin D council, "your body can produce 10,000 to 25,000 IU of vitamin D in just a little under the time it takes for your skin to turn pink."
In one study, sun exposure was shown to offer other benefits in addition to vitamin D production — including an increase in endorphins and possible prevention of autoimmune diseases.
But despite these benefits, limit your exposure to excessive sunlight to avoid skin cancer risks. When you do head out into the sun for more than a few minutes, remember to wear protective clothing and apply sunscreen with an SPF 15 or higher.
Did you know that the soles of your feet have more sweat glands and nerve-endings per square centimeter than any other part of your body? And that walking barefoot stimulates them much more than walking in shoes?
Not only are you stimulating nerve endings when you walk on the sand, but you're also strengthening the muscles in your feet, which don't get used nearly as much when you're wearing shoes. And according to Martin Zucker, author of Earthing: The Most Important Health Discovery Ever?, you may be better connected to the earth when you ditch your shoes, reaping vital mood-boosting benefits. "Earthing," argues Zucker, reconnects our bodies to the ever-present energy of the earth, which modern lifestyles have increasingly diminished.
And in a study focused on running and walking on the sand, researchers found that walking on sand requires 1.6 to 2.5 times the energy than it takes on a hard surface.
"Our muscles perform more mechanical work when running or walking on sand than on a hard surface," said study co-author Dr. Thierry M. Lejeune, M.D.
If treading on the unwieldy sand for too long sounds tiring, try alternating your walk or run on the more compact sand closer to the water, where the surface will be less challenging.
Sea water contains high levels of various minerals — including magnesium, potassium and iodine — which may help fight infection, offer therapeutic effects, and potentially help the body heal and detoxify.
Swimming is linked to decreased stress and increased sense of well-being; studies have shown swimming and water-based exercise help to decrease anxiety and depression.
Aside from its therapeutics effects, swimming provides excellent physical exercise, employing most of our major muscle groups, especially as the water provides gentle resistance.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), swimming ranks as the fourth most popular sport activity in the United States. Among other aerobic activities (like running and bicycling), swimming for as little as two-and-a-half hours a week may help reduce the risk of chronic diseases and boost heart health.
And since it's a non-impact sport, swimming offers a great way for people with injuries to get some exercise. For sufferers of arthritis, water-based exercise can help improve joint pain symptoms.
Source (Medical Daily)
From Caribbean beaches to Pacific cruise ports, destinations in Mexico offer optimal inexpensive getaways. Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta, Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point) and The Riviera Maya are just three vacation hotspots that won't wreck your wallet. Don't let pricey airline tickets ruin your vacation budget. With a few simple tips, save money you can spend instead on tours, souvenirs and enjoying Mexican culture.
Use the calendar
Use Southwest Airlines Low Fare Calendar online to view the cheapest times to fly to Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico City or Los Cabos. Enter your origination and destination cities and click on the month that you wish to travel. A calendar pops up showing the best deals for each day of the month. For example, airfare the day after Christmas and the weekend before Christmas is the most expensive time to travel during the month of December on a flight from Phoenix to Cancun. A flight costs less than half as much during the first 12 days of the month or after the first week of January.
Avoid Holiday Travel Times
Visiting Mexico during national holidays can be a festive and exciting experience, but you'll also pay a premium for airfare. Travel during times when school is in session and government and businesses offices are open to find the lowest rates. Mexican citizens tend to travel during the national holidays when many businesses close for one or more days. Airfare increases to Mexico for the Christmas holiday season beginning with December 12, the Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe. Although the main focus of the festival is Villa de Guadalupe Hidalgo north of Mexico City, the national holiday gives citizens time to travel in all parts of the country. The winter holiday season ends with the New Year's holiday. The Easter season is another busy travel season in Mexico where Maundy Thursday and Good Friday just before the Easter weekend are national holidays. Other national holidays include:
Constitution Day, the first Monday in February
Benito Juarez's Birthday, the third Monday in March
Labour Day, May 1
Independence Day, September 16
Revolution Day, the third Monday of November
Price flights online
If you know when you want to go on your Mexican holiday, check out onsite price matching sites like JustFly or Google Flights. Although you might have to move quickly to snag the very best deal, take time to check out the details before you commit. Some prices you'll find online don't include taxes and additional fees, which can tack on more than $100 on a flight from Phoenix to Cancun, for example. Lower priced fares might add one or more stops, extending your flight time. For example, a 4.5-hour flight from Phoenix can turn into 15 hours of flying and airport layovers when you fly via Dallas to save a few dollars. Keep legroom in mind, too. Google Flights includes how much legroom you'll have which, if you're tall, can be worth paying more for to be comfortable for hours in the air.
With SQN Getaways, find the best accommodation packages and have an amazing time in paradise.
Source: (Usa today)
Mexican food has some of the most well-known and loved dishes in the world. Mexican cuisine varies by region due to local climate and geography amongst other things.
This time we will take a culinary tour in the Banderas Bay area.
Vallarta is actually an important culinary destination in itself. A mix of international chefs, discerning gourmands that have made the city their hometown, a long-running gourmet festival, the local Mexican food traditions, that are centuries old plus quality ingredients from sea and land combine into great food, great prices and an ever-expanding list of options.
In here seafood is a favorite, plus the local dishes are very interesting for the newcomers too, these include dishes that are part of Jalisco's traditions (the state in which Vallarta is located), especially from Guadalajara, the state capital.
1.Pescado or Camarón embarazado
One of the local dishes that best represents what is typical in the town is "fish or shrimp embarazado", that is, pregnant fish/shrimp... sounds weird? It's mostly the name that is, it's actually a linguistic deformation of "pescado en vara asado", that is fish roasted on a stick.
This delicious local food is prepared by grilling fish or shrimp marinated in lime over coals, then served with Huichol salsa. The fish itself can be school shark (cazón) or marlin, another variant is to use shrimp instead of fish.
2.Birria
The main ingredients of this dish include goat or lamb meat, boiled in a spicy sauce that includes cumin, oregano, and ginger. It's served with lime (they call it lemon here), onions and the inseparable tortillas
3.Pozole
The most famous dish and the favorite of almost all Mexican is "Pozole" that has different incarnations around Mexico, in Jalisco and Vallarta it's a tasty broth that includes as main ingredients pork or chicken meat, seasoned with chili and includes a special popped corn. Once served you eat it with lettuce, radishes, and tostadas (sun-dried tortillas) y can be red or white, depending on the ingredients used for the soup.
4.Tamales
A Mexican favorite, that you'll also enjoy in Puerto Vallarta is the "tamal" (plural: tamales), these are actually an American dish that you'll find in local variants from Mexico all the way to Patagonia. The local version is prepared with white corn dough that is filled in the middle with either salty or sweet options, the most popular are green tomatoes with meat or red tomatoes with meat, all include chili pepper in greater o lesser amount, ask before eating, some have a sweet pineapple filling, kids like these a lot and they DO NOT include chili. The dough is then wrapped in corn leaves and steamed, yummy, give them a try!
5.Tortas ahogadas
We can't forget the famous "Tortas Ahogadas" (can be translated as "drowned sandwiches"), a very typical local dish. In Guadalajara, there's a saying that "you've not been to Guadalajara unless you've eaten tortas ahogadas", so you're expected and "forced" to try them. These sandwiches are made with a special local white bread called "birote" (the story behind the name is that a Frenchman whose last name was Birot, in the XIX century tried to make baguettes in Guadalajara and ended up inventing the birote) that is then stuffed with pork meat in pieces (some variations include shrimp and other fillings) and then covered with a generous amount of spicy chili and tomato sauce (that's when they are "drowned"...), many places offer a variety of sauces from "pica poquito" to stronger options.
If you’ve never snorkeled before, you may have some trepidation about giving it a try. But no need to worry. With just a few simple tips, you’ll soon be gliding among coral, turtles, tangs, angelfish, damsels, crustaceans, and maybe even octopuses and rays.
Since you may already be a bit uncomfortable in the water, it’s important that you feel as comfortable as possible with your equipment. Masks come in different shapes and sizes, so find one that fits properly so it won’t leak. Place it over your face – simply hold it, without putting the strap around your head – and inhale through your nose. If it doesn’t leak air, it won’t leak water.
If you choose to wear flippers (they are optional), try them on to make sure they are not too tight that your feet hurt, or too loose that you’ll lose them in the water.
Snorkels are fairly generic; if you’re using rental equipment, make sure it’s dry with no water inside. If it makes you squeamish thinking about putting something in your mouth that has been in hundreds of other mouths, you might prefer to buy your own. A simple mask and snorkel can be purchased for about $20.
You definitely shouldn’t be in the open sea the very first time you try snorkeling. Practice first in a pool or shallow water. Your mind tells you that you shouldn’t be breathing with your face in the water and you have to get used to this. Get comfortable with the mask and snorkel. Put your face in the water, breathe a few times, and take it out. When you’re comfortable with this, try swimming while doing it. Some water will inevitably get into the snorkel while you’re swimming, so learn how to purge the snorkel by blowing hard to get the water out.
You should do this both physically and mentally. Don’t go snorkeling on a full or empty stomach. Also, avoid alcohol before snorkeling; it will not enhance your experience and may make it more difficult. Your body can react differently to alcohol when in the water. Go with an open mind and a sense of adventure and anticipation too. If you’ve done your preparation and take it slowly, very little can go wrong. Focus on the new world that awaits you.
Choose a calm spot with minimal waves. Relax. Breathe slowly. Float, if you feel uncomfortable in deep water, use a floatation device. And always go with someone else, preferably an experienced snorkeler. It makes the experience more enjoyable, but most of all, it’s much safer. Relax, float, and enjoy the enchanting world beneath the waves!
Source: Beach
