Dan's Papers - August 17, 2007 - Inspirations by Emily J. Weitz

Sometimes the shock of Monday morning is just too much to bear. You spend the weekend so immersed in enjoyment and relaxation that you feel, instead of rested for the week ahead, completely unfit for anything but enjoyment and relaxation. This can cause you to feel bedraggled and pokey at work. And after pulling yourself through Monday, you're not likely to feel much more energized.

I felt such sluggishness this Monday morning after a lovely weekend that ended late Sunday night, watching the meteor shower. I have absolutely no complaints, but when the weekend is jam-packed and Sunday night brings an all-too-brief meeting with the Sandman, it's going to take more than a large cup of coffee to get you jumpstarted. So, as I pulled away from work, less awake than I had been when I arrived bleary-eyed in the morning, I knew I needed something dramatic. I needed something to kick me back into gear. Luckily, we live in a place where we can literally dunk ourselves in wakefulness. I drove directly to the beach, where the browning bodies had been roasting the day away while I toiled. And I threw off my shoes and pulled off my clothes to reveal the bathing suit that had been hiding underneath my dress all day. Tossing my belongings aside, I ran straight for the water. My feet splashed in the foamy waves and then I was immersed. I dove into the first wave I could and felt like I had just opened my eyes for the first time. Finally, that mopey feeling that came from too little sleep dissolved from the corners of my eyes and the cobwebs of my brain. I was awake, splashing in the refreshing water under the uncompromising August sun. I could taste the salty water on my lips and I could smell its freshness clinging to my nostrils. My muscles stretched as I flipped in and out of waves, and I felt alive again.

The ocean is quite possibly the best way to turn a lazy day around. And the reasons for this are many. Salt water has beneficial effects on skin, hair and sinuses. In fact, Hippocrates, the father of medicine, noted that salt water is extremely healthy. He saw the healing power it had on fishermen. Not only were their wounds healed faster than they would have in fresh water, but also the salt water reduced infection risks and helped with pain relief. Even though we usually think of "rubbing salt in the wound" as a negative thing, the presence of salt in the water actually helps with healing in many ways. Salt therapy is often used to help rejuvenate cells and to eliminate toxins.

Salt water also has a beneficial impact on breathing and sinuses. Saline solutions are often used in lieu of decongestants to relieve stuffy noses. The saltwater does various things, like removing mucus from the nose, reducing nasal stuffiness and reducing postnasal drip. Saline also removes 80% of allergens, thins out thickened secretions and shrinks swollen membranes. If creating a saline solution at home has such an impact, inhaling the benefits straight from the ocean has similar positive effects.

There are entire lines of ocean cosmetics that capitalize on the natural benefits of salt water. But we have this source of wealth surrounding us out here. In fact, even when you don't get to the beach, you are enjoying the benefits of the salty ocean air. But by taking a dip, you are allowing the minerals to soak into your skin and hair as well as your lungs. Sodium helps balance the body's pH levels and magnesium helps with skin metabolism. Even the texture of the water helps keep the skin healthy by acting as an exfoliant, getting rid of dead skin so that healthy, new skin can shine through.

Besides all the aforementioned physical benefits of taking a refreshing dip in the August heat, it is simply joyful to be in the water this time of year. Floating over the waves and watching people splashing in the surf is what summer is all about. Before there was Gucci, there was Main Beach. Before there was nightlife, there was a surf scene. For your health and well being, stay in touch with what it's really all about out here.