The graduation ceremonies have come and gone. All the kids are out on vacation. The weather is warming, and our summer plans are getting underway. This is a wonderful time to enjoy family, the outdoors, and the opportunity to change our regular habits. Adapting easily to life as it changes is a hallmark of vitality. Here are 5 successful summer tips to help you and your family get the most out of your summer with some healthy habits.
Enjoy Nature’s bounty – Hydrate not just with water but with food. Fruits and veggies are filled with vitamins and minerals, and water. This is why salads are more appealing during the summer. Enjoy the summers bounty of fresh fruit – whole and straight from the farmers market – in fruit kebabs, in smoothies, and fresh juices. Ramp up your veggies as crudité (sliced raw) with hummus or artichoke dip, as a mixed green salad, in cold soups like gazpachos, or even roasted on the grill (eaten over a bed of cool, fresh greens). Frozen whole fruit / veggie sorbets and popsicles can be a refreshing treat on a hot summer’s day.
Drink up. We need to be good water drinkers in normal times and even better during the warm summer months. Drink approximately half of your body weight in ounces of water per day. For example, if you weigh 130 pounds, drink at least 65 ounces (almost 2 liters) of water daily. In this example you could start easily with a 1.5 liter bottle if you haven’t been a good water drinker. Add more water for exercise and even more for time spent outdoors in hot areas. If you exercise a lot outside use an electrolyte beverage to recharge your body, coconut water is a great natural choice.
Respect the sun’s rays. We need the sun and its light rays to nurture us and produce Vitamin D in our skin. But excessive exposure, of course, can be bad for the skin and cause dehydration. Best to schedule outdoor activities early in the morning or late afternoon (before 10am and after 3pm) if you will be out for a while. Wear a hat to protect your scalp and shade your face, and sunglasses for your eyes. Clothes can protect your skin as can a safe sunscreen. Choose your sunscreen carefully as many are laden with chemicals that are bad for you and the oceans. We like SurfScripts™ earth friendly products for our personal use and to make available in the office. Think of having an aloe plant growing around your home for use on any kind of burn. The cooling and healing gel inside the leaves will soothe any sunburn. It works great on most skin irritations.
Make some SPECIAL time this summer. Relax and breathe with your family, kids, and friends. You’ve been working hard, and this is the season to slow the pace a bit, spend time outdoors together, and absorb the natural light that stimulates your health. Plan a fun day trip or longer – hiking nature trails, camping, playing at the beach, or lounging at the river. Spending time reconnecting with both loved ones and the Earth’s energy has vitality benefits that last beyond this season, continuing to enrich the whole of your life. Be creative!
Get Dirty! Have fun and let yourself go, as well as the kids, when playing outside. Remember the saying that “a little dirt never killed anybody”? It turns out that microbes in the soil help our immune systems to develop and provide us with beneficial soil-based organisms, which are potent probiotics for our microbiome. It’s about getting into the dirt, not serving up a plate of it. There is ample evidence that the typical overly sterile, sanitized and dirt-free lifestyle is hurting our and our children’s immune systems and microbiomes (the good bacteria that live in the gut). This summer let’s all play outside together, get dirty… and have fun!
And remember to come in for your vitality session to stay balanced with all the summer fun you will be having.
Enjoy your summer and create memories that will last you a lifetime.