10 Ways to Live Your Healthiest Summer Yet

Hi and Happy Friday!

Any fun plans for the weekend? Speaking of the weekend, Sunday marks the first official day of summer in the northern hemisphere! While San Diego has been getting a lot of June gloom weather – where it’s overcast for large parts of the day anywhere close to the ocean – I’m expecting it to officially feel like summer here pretty soon.

In honor of the summer and its official start, I came up with a list of ways to make summer 2015 your healthiest one yet. Let’s get to it!

1.) Eat lots of in-season produce. This is the time of year when tomatoes are at their sweetest and juiciest and when watermelon is abundant. Take advantage of it! Bonus: Watermelon is mostly made of water, which will keep you hydrated in the hot weather.

2.) Get outside and connect with nature as much as you can. While some days may be too sweltering to exercise outdoors depending on where you live, summer is the time to appreciate Mother Nature! Connect with the outside world and soak up the sun as often as you’re able to. After all, there’s nothing like the feeling of satisfaction when you go for a sweaty bike ride with your family or spend the morning hiking with your dog!

3.) Apply sunscreen daily. Don’t forget the SPF! Sunburns are no fun and increase your risk for skin cancer. The sun feels stronger than ever to me, and I make sure to lather up in sunscreen every day that I’m outside so that I get some color but don’t burn.

4.) Commit to an exercise routine. If your workout routine is sporadic or nonexistent, summer is the perfect time to commit to an active lifestyle. You’ll look more toned in your summery clothing after awhile, and immediately you’ll feel more comfortable and confident being you knowing that you’re making the healthy choice to move.

5.) Practice self-love and listen to your body. Speaking of being confident, summer is also a great time to develop a better self-relationship. Part of this is listening to your body, which means taking a day off of working out when you need it and eating intuitively, among other things.

Most of us have a tendency to be hard on ourselves – especially the perfectionists out there! – but it’s time to be kinder to yourself and treat yourself as you would your best friend. Make a conscious effort to negate the self-loathing by carving out time to do things you enjoy by yourself, and reminding yourself of all the reasons why you are worthy of a wonderful life.

6.) Relax by the water. Head to the beach or the pool… or even just grab a lawn chair and hang out on the grass. Summertime = the season for outdoor R&R!

7.) Practice gratitude daily. Each day of the season, pick a few moments to practice gratitude and to count your blessings – whether while on your daily walk (#2!), driving to work, or hanging at the beach (#6!). Cultivating an attitude of gratitude helps you to be more positive overall, and a positive attitude leads to a healthy soul.

8.) Try a new recipe each week. Summer is all about fresh meals. There are endless possibilities of dinners to make on the grill, seasonal salads to try, and fresh fruit smoothies to whip up. Commit to trying one new recipe each week of summer! Get creative and come up with meals on your own, buy a new cookbook, scan through food magazines, or scour the food blogging world (including my recipe page!) for ideas.

9.) Stay hydrated. With the summer comes heat, with heat comes sweat, and with a lot of sweat comes dehydration… which is why you need to drink a lot of water. Being well hydrated makes a big difference in energy levels and how you feel in so many ways, so drink up!

For ideas on how to stay better hydrated, check out my post on 5 ways to drink more water here.

10.) Challenge yourself by trying new workouts and adventurous activities. Why not try new workouts this summer? Do new things that you haven’t done yet but have been curious to try. Rent a kayak, go to your first yoga class, join a running group… It’s all up to do what you do, but challenging yourself in fitness and adventure is a great way to ensure that you have a memorable, healthy, happy summer!

Reminder: If you’re looking to make this summer your healthiest one yet, I can help get you there through my health coaching program! I’m offering a health coaching program discount through the 4th of July that’ll give new clients $150 off their program, and I offer free consultations. Check out more details about my program and the discount here!

Tell me… How are you planning on making this season your best one yet?