A Lifeguard's Entire Routine, from Waking Up to the Beach | Allure

I'm Brittany Austen and this is how I work. I will explain to you the 24 hours of my wellness and beauty regimen. I work 40 hours a week, ten hours a day, and I probably spend about 14 hours a week on the water. At least I'll have eight rescues in one day on a busy day and I can go a few months without. I'd probably say I've saved at least 500 people and the first time you save a life will mark you for the rest of your life. your life the best part of my job is saving lives and being on the

beach

while doing it is amazing and it's beautiful and it's stressful and it's hot and it's exhausting funny guys it's around 7:00 a.m. m. before I get out of bed I do a couple of things I drink a large dose of water I usually leave it next to my bed he gives me a good excuse five extra I'm fine I usually wake up at least a good hour before my shift I usually wake up I stretch I extended my back a little and stretched my hamstrings.

He who gets up early is cured by the worm. Epidemic. I like to wake up and wash my face with warm water. I don't actually use any creams or lotions. Ernie's. I said early in the morning just because I'm going to sweat them and the more cream I use, the more sweat there will be beads in your eyes, not good. My biggest beauty regimen would be ours, that process the rose water gives me a nice little scent that is supposed to be a good toner. of hydration I spray it everywhere. I use it in the morning before I go to work in the tower when I'm really hot and Nikki just to cool me down even at night it's too hot not to use this amazing and then of course Irish. my teeth for me are with me, probably one of the best parts of my job is just my uniform suit.

I don't wear pants, I don't wear shoes and that's a definite plus, so this is my date suit drawer. I have literally more serious than the shoes, the navy blue. They are the work of all my work suits, our Dolan Dolan is made specifically for the swimmer, the surfer, the triathlete, the

lifeguard

, those women who do active activities in the water. I need support and I need you to keep surfing if I run out. In a rescue I don't want to have to worry about my tits coming out, you know, what happened at soft Morley Kress, you know, swimsuits and I was in a rescue, I remember where I came from and I'm just like ma'am, Lady, I fixed her shoe because she had completely won and she looks at me and says, well, honey, you're the same boat and I look down and say Oh my God, because I'm a

lifeguard

. and I'm constantly in a swimsuit.

I don't want to have to worry about, you know, shaving all the time. I had laser hair removal on my bikini line. It's one of those things that makes my life a little easier. To work at 9:00 we have a roll call in the morning. I'm here in beautiful Miami Beach, about 86 degrees now, which feels like 97 because of the humidity. We open our towers at 9:30, this gives me about 30 minutes or so to set up, make sure all my equipment is in good working condition. I wanted to show you my office. My incredible view in the background. I have my supervisor there watching the water.

This is where I am, 40 hours a week. It seems like I'm camping you want to go to the tower because I have everything I need because I don't have running water I want to get something for the day it's like 10 o'clock and I've started sweating again opening the tower and here I am. Am I starting to prepare? I put on some sunscreen. Sun protection and lifesaving go hand in hand. I don't sit in a chair. I feel in a real tower. It has doors and windows that protect me from the elements. Every time you see a lifeguard we will try to stay out of the sun, as you can see I have my sun protection everywhere I go, most protective clothing, everyone has some type of UV protection.

I go in the water with full tights to cover my legs I also like to wear a visor, a hat and of course sunglasses. Ocean Rescue gives us a $150 allowance for sunglasses because as a lifeguard it's very important and I'm not just looking at the sun. Look out at the ocean The sun's reflection on the ocean is actually more damaging. These are my clothes, so they're made specifically for people who are in the ocean and they're super polarized, it kind of takes away the shine. the ocean I can see the victim better, you can see the contours of the ocean floor and the sandbars are where the rip currents are.

I use sunscreen, what's really important is making sure it's reef safe. I love the ocean, it's my playground. My office is where I live where I work and for me protecting the reef is very important. I have this beautiful engagement ring. I'm really afraid of losing it, so you won't see me wearing rings or bracelets when I'm on duty. I usually get a break around 11:00 or so. I personally bring my lunch so I can use my lunch hour as exercise. I can't stand looking at the water for ten hours a day and not being able to get into it.

I need to be in peak physical condition every day I do at least one workout I bury it depending on the conditions if it's a tough day I'll go out and do rough water training if it's a completely flat day I could take it easy and maybe swim or run and once After I finish my training the most important thing is to rinse with fresh water and dry off, so I keep these gallon jugs of fresh water in my tower so that after each training or after each rescue I usually rinse with fresh water because being salt water dries out your skin, also who wants to stay sticky for ten hours a day.

I never sit in a baggy swimsuit for more than a few minutes, it is very important for women's health. I'm not going to sit down. Here in a wet swimsuit for ten hours a day, forty hours a week, so I change my suit at least two or three times a day, depending on my activity levels, it is something that may be normal for the people don't think, but the lifesavers. It's kind of hot, lifeguards don't have days where you can just say I don't want to go to the

beach

because I'm on my period. I have I like to call it my little goody bag of women's health items as soon as I put on a dry suit, I put on a dry tampon, we can't exactly use pads, we don't have bathrooms in the tower, so I use a glove, the glove is placed on your hand, throw the tampon inside out, tie it and Don't throw it in the trash, so one of the things that is very particular about lifesavers is that we are constantly in moisture, staying dry is important and most importantly As for hair care, simply let it dry before putting it back in a bun.

I've heard a million horror stories from my swimmer friends to my lifeguard friends that constantly going in and out with wet hair and their hair in a bun or ponytail and the next thing you know their hair breaks, It is rotting, it is falling. t Baywatch I can't do a rescue with my hair down. I have to keep it up but I brush my hair. I leave it loose. I let it air dry before putting it back in the bun. I have never dyed my hair. in my life, all these golden highlights that I have acquired naturally through the sun, it is basically the sun burning and baking my hair.

I don't really use a lot of products, but I get in the ocean every day, so I wash my hair every day. I condition my hair every day. I just used regular Herbal Essence. It reminds me of childhood. This is the coconut one, so it gives me extra moisture. A common problem with lifeguards and swimmers is that we get these wet spots on our shoulders. That's what works. It is anti-dandruff shampoo, as long as you are consistent with it. I like to eat throughout the day. I sit down and make a very large meal and now I'm full.

Suddenly I have a rescue. The last thing you want to do is throw up on your way to the rescue it just doesn't feel very good so many times you will see lifeguards chewing throughout the day eating smaller meals an example of one of the things I like to eat and carry to lunch. I call it chia pudding, it's basically chia seeds, almond milk, a little bit of agave nectar, cinnamon, walnut, and I'll put it like a banana. The other thing that's really important is moisturizing. I'll basically be in a wooden box all day. it's just because of the elements and I'm working outside this is my gallon water bottle I drink at least one of these in a day it's a habit 8 hour shifts so it usually lasts me all day it's a very hot day it might have to do it go back and refill this is what I like to use it's a small electric pack that I have at least on very hot days at least one of these a day pretty tasty it's easy to carry I put it in my water bottle like a professional lifesaver I have my EMT for my medical response most of the time we are lifeguards on the beach in the ocean sand so we need to recognize what is happening and what we can do to help the fact that it can become a condition important medical It is very real, in Miami Beach there are many people with heat exhaustion.

I do a lot of medical tests in the sand. A lot of people come during spring break or summer break and they want a party and they want to have fun, but... They don't really recognize what their bodies are going through, it's something that has a lifeline that we have to remind people because they only come to have fun and that is their help, sometimes it is not on their radar, there are many myths just because of them they watch and many other Sandlot shows, many people think that most lifeguards are seasonal jobs that were all college students who They were just looking for a summer job.

South Florida is specifically Miami Beach, we have the luxury of having excellent weather all year round. That means you have people in the ocean all year round. There are some people who don't even understand that there are lifeguards. They come to my towers. They ask me to rent an umbrella. I have a lot of overly eager tourists. Most of them have good intentions. to take pictures are excited and I have to remind them that my tower is my office and my equipment are the tools I use to save lives so I don't mind people taking pictures however I have to remind people that please don't do it.

I don't stand on stairs. I prefer not to attack people while running for rescue. I keep my nails very short. I'm constantly in water, so my nails tend to break. Plus, I don't want to reach out and scratch someone. With my nails, a lot of times people, when you put them away, panic, they don't know what's going on and you'll find everything from people trying to jump on you to the boyfriend leaving the girlfriend. in the back and trying to save themselves it happens that the girls do not follow them when they tell you a little further if you are not comfortable you know if in doubt don't go out, but I have had occasions in which that person simply has that look with eyes glazed over and you reach out to them and push the bully in front of them and they will try to climb completely on top of it because they don't recognize that everything they need to survive is right here. this is all I need out of the water sometimes it just takes a hey calm down I'm here everything will be okay grab the buoy and sometimes that's enough to get them out of it and then you can calm down peacefully.

You start telling a joke or two, it's interesting, you know people's reactions and some people say thank you, others run away from you as fast as they can as soon as they get out of the water because they're so embarrassed, there's a certain rescuing that kind of things that stay with you, there are drownings and important medical exams and as any medical provider will tell you, there are certain times when you won't be able to save them and those things definitely have an impact and there is something that once you experience them, it really puts you in perspective your passion for the work, just the simple idea of ​​well, now I've been through the worst and if I still want to do this job and I still want to save more people, then I know.

This job is for me and it's something you learn from and it will happen to every lifeguard in their career at least once and that probably happened to me around the second year of my career. I had a very important case and when I went. At home, I had Lucas there to help. Lucas is my fiancé and he has been with Miami Beach Ocean Rescue for about 15 years. It's actually amazing that my partner does the same thing as me. We are lifeguards. You swim, we run, we save. Life is your life, so I am very lucky to have met my partner, who is very supportive and dedicated.

We have this big container and we have our ice maker, and we fill it with ice water and we go in there for eight minutes. and give ourselves ice baths have a clean trash can and I love water I'm really looking forward to it I mean yeah and now it's going to hurt it sounds a little painful but at the end of the day like a life bird in the hot environment it is important to stay cool there are many minutes left because the amount of physical activity we are doing is good to help revive and rejuvenate okay, that's good, thank you holding on is a lifesaver's best friend salt water is quite abrasive so I tend to chase and in this case Vaseline is a lifesaver, as you see I don't have a thigh gap so VaselineI put it right here on that chubby massage if I'm going to swim a lot in a row anywhere around the swimsuit.

The line also sometimes these rash guards can get cut a little funny, a little tight just in the armpits, that's a good place too, even a small cut or anything that burns in the salt water, Vaseline will sort it all out a little bit your problems. Vaseline a little neosporin and that's it, alcohol is something that all first responders have as a medical professional it is important to disinfect, we don't have running water, so many times the guards just drink some alcohol and do one of these. You also know I have a pimple. I don't have any of my acne products or anything that causes spoiled alcohol.

Straight to the temple, okay, time to reapply some SPF 3. Most of my work has to do with clinching. Sometimes I will be on the sand for hours on end, specifically those moments before and after low tide on busy holidays. In addition to a lifeguard, we consider that doing too many rescues in the same place is a failure on our part because it means that we have not warned if I see a rip current at a specific tide two hours before low tide or two hours after low tide . tide and I see a family. I'm definitely going to go there and redirect them to a safer place to swim because it can become dangerous for all lives, soon we will have a flag system, this flag system is nationwide, green, yellow, red, like a traffic light. green means low danger yellow means moderate danger and red just means high danger due to rip currents when we fly that double red flag that means the waters close to the public flying are double red flag at the moment it could be lightning already be it a hurricane or any type of bacteria in the water and our purple flag is for marine life, usually in an injured jellyfish during the summer and in the colder months in the Portuguese Manoir, people are really surprised that in the ocean there are marine life, we get everything.

From tarpon to manatees to stingrays, we have sea turtles that actually come to our coast, usually at night, mother Seto will come later to nest from time to time, we will hatch one of those nests, these baby turtles are very vulnerable heat. make sure Christ takes those turtles into account. Every day we can take a break and take a moment in the tower to relax a little, usually around six o'clock. I'll start closing this. time I start to pick up my combs I put away my rescue board I clean the tower I go down the tower at 6:30 we look at the vehicles we put away all our emergency equipment we leave it ready for the next day and I leave the beach at 7:00 p.m. .

At the end of the day, the most refreshing thing is to simply step into the air conditioning. I get up from the seat. Arabic is like the cloud lifts automatically and it's like you're seeing clearly for the first time in about 10 hours. You arrive home. at 8 to 8:30 and just relax and take a nice long hot shower, obviously my job doesn't include putting on full makeup because I can't wear makeup on a daily basis, sometimes just to run errands, I like to put on a little face this is my makeup bag this is pretty much her extension this is just a sunscreen brush it's a nice kind of clear powder I have very short eyelashes so I use an eyelash curler my aunt and my grandmother used to try to teach me how to curl my eyelashes with the spoon.

I was never as skilled as them. I have waterproof mascara because you never know when the girl needs to jump in the ocean and then I have basic eyeliner. a little accent for the lip gloss so yeah that's my daily makeup

routine

like on a day off if I'm going out to the store and I want to look a little pretty and make myself feel like I'm a little more feminine in a special. Sometimes I like to highlight the really dramatic red lip, I like the deep red matte and I like a little trick my grandma taught me to make sure I don't get lipstick on my teeth and now a thing about Sitting Outside is coming out. in the heat all day is that when I get home all I want to do is lock myself inside a dark room and turn on the air conditioning for at least two or three hours before I can move.

I have a cream. which I use at night I buy it in Mexico at the market it's actually made from honey and pollen and a bunch of other good stuff it's something I can use at night and then the next morning when I wash my face I don't go in my training feeling like my glasses are slipping off my face, that's my nature. I walk in the sand a lot, so my sensations tend to get very dry, but it's something I'm constantly struggling with when trying to file them down and I wear this heel and sleep in socks.

I tend to go to bed around 11 o'clock. I'm a bit of a night owl. Hey guys, it's around 11:30 and Rocco and I are about to go to bed, so hello. My name is Brittany Austin here help how I work