It’s summertime, and if you’re anything like me, that’s something to celebrate. The weather is warmer, the days longer and these hot and sunny days give us the perfect excuse to kick back and relax a little bit more. So, summer is basically great, but if you want to make the most of it, you really should spend a little extra time taking care of your health. It’s the perfect time to do it for a number of reasons.
Here are some simple things you can do to ensure this summer is the summer that you really take charge of your health:
Wear Sunscreen
Perhaps the most universally important summer health tip of all, you simply must not go outdoors during daylight hours without first applying sunscreen, and it should be a sunscreen that offers a high enough level of protection for your skin type. By wearing sunscreen, you’ll help to keep your skin in good condition, avoid sunburn, and most importantly of all, cut your risk of developing sun cancer in the future.
Add Summer Berries to Your Diet
For a lot of people. Summer and berries are synonymous. Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, they’re all in season, and they’re all fantastic for your body, and because they’re low in sugar and low in calories, almost anyone can benefit from them, even if they happen to be diabetic or dieting.
Spend Some Time Gardening
If you don’t usually enjoy gardening, this summer could be the perfect time to change that. If you give your garden some TLC, not only will you benefit from having a beautifully relaxing space to relax in when the sun is shining, but you’ll get some pretty good exercise, and you’ll also get a good mood boost from the work you do and the soil you work with, which studies have shown to be beneficial for low mood.
Do a Detox
If you’re starting to feel sluggish, bloated or rundown, or if you’ve noticed that you’ve gained a few times, summertime is surely the perfect time to do a detox and get yourself back to looking and feeling your best. So, add Natural Detox Tea to your diet, drink plenty of water and enjoy more of those healthy green salads that we all know are good for us, but which don’t tend to appeal when the weather is cold, and the skies are gray.
Exercise Outdoors
If you usually exercise inside at your home or the gym, or especially if you don’t exercise very much at all, take the opportunity that summer presents to ramp up your workouts by doing them outside. When you exercise outdoors, whether you’re swimming, surfing, running or hiking, not only will you benefit from the physicality of the activity, but you’ll also get an influx of fresh, clean air, which will make you feel a whole lot better than when you exercise in the stuffy, sweaty gym. It could be just the thing to turn you from an exercise hater into a devoted jogger, swimmer or weight trainer.
Purchase Effective Sunglasses
If you plan to spend as much of the summertime as possible outside soaking up the sun’s rays, then you really should think about protecting your eyes.
When it comes to your vision, you can’t be too careful, and the summer is the time when there are more threats to your eyes in the form of UV rays than at any other time of the year. Ideally, you should try to find a pair of sunglasses, which as well as making you look really great, offers at least 99 percent protection against both Ultraviolet A and B rays. This will ensure that you don’t put yourself at risk of cataracts, blindness or. Less seriously, wrinkles and crow’s feet around the eyes.
Take a Vacation
I know that a lot of us Americans are loathed to take a vacation lest we look bad or get too far behind on our work, but this is one area where we could learn something from our European counterparts, who have no trouble taking time off to spend with family and take a summer vacation.
Life right now is pretty stressful for most of us, and if we don’t take the time to relax and enjoy just being once in awhile, we could end up suffering from high blood pressure, weight gain, stress and even depression. So, take a few days off, book a flight to a tropical island and spend some time doing very little in a beautiful location. Your body and your mind will thank you for it.
Keep the Alcohol to a Minimum
Sipping an ice cold beer or indulging in a jug of chilled sangria is one of simplest pleasures we have in the summer. It tastes good, and it helps us to cool down and unwind after a hard day at work, but so many of us take our alcohol consumption too far and end up overindulging, leading to hangovers, weight gain and other related problems.
You don’t need to give up alcohol completely in the summertime – alcohol in small quantities can help to protect against heart disease after all- but you might want to think about toning it down a little if you often overdo it. Stick to no more than a couple of alcoholic beverages through the week and consider drinking light beer or watering down your other drinks with fruit juice or sparkling water. That way, you’ll get the same enjoyment, but you’ll drink less.
Get Your Full 8 Hours Sleep
Because it stays light for longer in the summertime, it can be tempting to stay up way past your usual bedtime, but you shouldn’t do this more than very occasionally, perhaps when there’s a special event to attend. If you don’t get enough sleep, your body won’t have time to repair itself, and you’ll feel fatigued, foggy and far from your best if you don’t get enough shut-eye.
For this reason, you should also try to avoid napping in your hammock when you’re relaxing in the garden. If you sleep during the day, you’ll find it much harder to sleep on a warm summer’s night.
Stay Hydrated
You’re much more likely to become dehydrated in the summertime when the weather is much hotter than at any other time of the year, and since dehydration can cause a range of symptoms, including headache, dizziness, fainting and even seizure, this is something you’ll really want to avoid. So, carry a water bottle like Multi Flask everywhere with you and drink frequently to maintain your usual hydration levels.
Rest
If you’re the type who likes to stay active in the summer, whether you’re into gardening, walking or if you work in a manual job, when the temperature rises, it’s very important that you take more breaks than you usually would. The heat can take its toll on your body, and if you press on, pushing yourself to your physical limits you will feel it, and you may well faint and hurt yourself. Don’t risk it and take it easy.
Wear it Light and Loose
I the summertime, it’s much healthier to wear clothing which is light, loose and made from natural fabrics like linen and cotton. This will help to keep you cool, and you’ll feel much more comfortable if you do start to sweat.
Check Your Medication
Did you know some prescription medications can make you more sensitive to the heat? If it’s heating up where you are, it might be worth checking if any of your medications could do that, so that you can take precautions to stay safe in the sun.
Now that you know how to be healthy, it’s time to get outside and enjoy the summertime while it lasts.
