May has started off a little rough watching the Kings get swept in the playoffs. I’m following the Flyers now but it’s not the same, and they also just lost Game 1. More importantly, May is stacked in awareness in what I feel are three very connected themes, especially to someone who grew up in Southern California. It’s National Physical Fitness & Sports Month, Skin Cancer Awareness Month and National Clean Air Month.

For me, sports have always been a huge part of life. Whether I’m on the ice, training in a park or just messing around outside, being active is what keeps me feeling like myself. That’s what National Physical Fitness & Sports Month is really about, not just grinding in the gym but actually getting outside and moving. Even in the winter, there is something special and mind-cleansing about skating on the frozen pond in the crisp air, under the warming sun, (even if your coach and dean scold you and your teammates for being out there).

If you’re outside a lot playing sports, hiking, hanging out at the beach, you’re getting a ton of sun exposure whether you think about it or not. And skin cancer is one of those things people kind of ignore until it shows up. I’ve started realizing that putting on sunscreen isn’t just something your parents nag you about, it actually matters if you want to keep doing the things you love.

And air quality affects everything. It effects how you perform, how you breathe, how you recover after exercise. If the air’s bad, it’s harder to train, harder to play, and harder to just enjoy being outside. Even at the beach in LA, the pollution is visibly noticeable and studies have linked bad air directly to increases in cancer.

They’re all connected to being able to live an active, healthy life outdoors and making sure we can keep doing that long term. Even though it’s been a disappointing first week, May is still a reminder that I love the outdoors and want to be able to continue to enjoy being outdoors well into the future.

Wear sun-screen, stay active, and consider walking or biking as an alternative to gas-powered vehicles.