We’re into July already! My summers always go too fast. I love these days of waking early to myriad bird songs, feeling the grass under my feet, the warm sun on my skin, the cool breezes as the sun finally goes down late in the evening.
These are also the days of lazing around, kicking back, having a more relaxed outlook on what needs (or doesn’t need) to be accomplished. It can also be the time when we are lured away from our health goals under the guise of a more laissez-faire attitude, self-inflicted social pressures, and the lure of a carefree lifestyle.
So how do we stay on track despite all the fun? Here are a few tips that may help specifically with summertime issues.
- For exercise: swap out your traditional workouts for a “purposeful movement.” If being inside a gym seems like a waste of great weather, take your movement outdoors! Go for a brisk, heart-rate elevating walk or jog. Play active games like tag or kickball or soccer with your kids. Ride a bike. Around here there are yoga classes on stand up paddle boards, surf lessons, and walks with llamas. Google, social media, and newspapers are full of things to do that can be a great alternate to your usual routine. Make sure to get your more strenuous movement in during cooler morning or evening temperatures to reduce your risk of overheating.
- Use caution with your barbecues. Cooking meat over an open flame or at very high temperatures can create carcinogens, according to the National Cancer Institute (HERE)
Reduce your risk by pre-cooking meat and simply finishing it on the grill, by frequently turning the meat rather than flipping once, by minimizing exposure to smoke, by removing charred portions of meat prior to eating it, and by adding vinegar to your marinades to lessen the effects of the grilling process. Even better: swap out some of that meat for grilled fruits or veggies. Because of their different constituents, they don’t form carcinogens when grilled. You can get that same great grill flavor without the risk.
- Speaking of barbecues, summer is a great time for parties, which, at least for my friends and family, means great desserts! Ice cream, cookies, cakes, cream puffs, cannoli, you name it, we have it!! Be mindful of that sugar intake- there are ZERO health benefits in refined, processed sugars and artificial sweeteners, and they can wreak a LOT of havoc in our bodies. Have your fill of healthier options first. I always make sure to bring a veggie tray full of easy-to-grab options and sit myself right next to it so I can fill up on good-for-me foods first. After multiple veggies and whatever healthy options are passed around for the meal, then I can enjoy a bit of those goodies that I love, within reason (you all KNOW my weakness for Mom’s butter cookies!!).
- Stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water! We all know that sweating and being in the sun can dry us out. Our typical consumption of water needs to be increased accordingly. Also, drinks we associate with summer, like iced tea, cold beer, sangria, and such can trick us into thinking that we’re hydrated… but all of these fun drinks are diuretics that will further deplete your body of hydration. Swap out some of those summer drinks for infused waters that can add some more fun and flavor. Cucumber in your water is so refreshing, as are mint leaves. Any kind of sliced fruit can be thrown into a glass of water. Try mixing and matching, like coconut lime, cucumber melon, or pomegranate and grapefruit. Herbal infusions are fun, too. Try strawberry and basil, blackberry and ginger, or blueberries with lemon and rosemary.
- Watch your sun exposure. No brainer, right? We all know about the dangers of sunburns and we all know we should be using sunscreen. But have you thought about some of the hidden factors that can increase our risk of sun dangers? What about the reflection from your electronic devices? If you’re using a Kindle or iPad when out in the sun, your face is actually getting more exposure to sunlight! The same goes for refracted light when in the car. Autoimmune diseases, some prescription medications, and even certain seemingly harmless topical creams, lotions, and perfumes can cause increased UV sensitivity. Did you know that a typical cotton T-shirt provides an SPF of about 7?! Or that the expiration date on your sunscreen doesn’t account for leaving that bottle in the heat, which significantly reduces its shelf life? Or that about 80% of the sun’s UV rays go through those clouds on an overcast kind of day?
- Summer is a great time to eat a wide variety of seasonal fruits and veggies. Our digestive “furnace” is more efficient at breaking down the increased complexity of raw, woody, cruciferous vegetables in the summer, and the expanded plant diversity is great for increasing the amount of “healthy gut flora” in our intestinal microbiome. Try out some new, lesser known plants that show up at your grocery store and markets while they’re in season. Because the increased heat can speed up the propagation of nasty microbes like E. coli, Salmonella, and Listeria, be sure to thoroughly wash your produce and vegetables before eating them.
- Look for healthier, more natural versions of bug sprays to fend off mosquitoes, ticks, chiggers, and the like. I make a blend of essential oils and witch hazel or vinegar to beat off the bugs when I’m on my back deck- and I change the blend depending on which nasties are around. The blend also depends on your proverbial neck of the woods, as bugs are really biodiverse, so what works here may not be effective in other geographic locations. For me, bergamot, lemongrass, and rosemary work well for mosquitoes; citronella does nothing. For ticks, cedar is working well. I used to use lemongrass and clove with great success; now they do nothing to repel ticks. I also LOVE the “Bug Bite Thing” for reducing the effects of any “puncture” type bugs like mosquitoes, biting flies, and sand flies. It takes out all the irritation and itch if you catch it quick enough. Homeopathic Ledum is also great for those “punctures.”
Do you have any tips to add? I’d love to hear them! Drop a comment here, or an e-mail, so we can all learn from each other. I love using quick, simple fixes, and I love to share them with clients!
Belssings,
Melanie
