Is it hard for you make healthy food choices or maintain a workout routine in the summer time? It’s a common issue due to changing routines change, rising temperatures, and food-focused events like barbecues. So what can you do when you want to stay healthy and fit but your normal routine is thrown off? This blog will give you 5 tips to help you stay fit and healthy in the summer.
5 Tips to Help You Stay Fit and Healthy in the Summer
1. Schedule your workouts
If you don’t plan your workouts in advance, it’s easy to let them slide – especially when routines change during the summer. Your normal workout time may need to move to accommodate your family, but find a consistent time that can work for you and put it on the calendar. You might need to wake up a bit earlier, or shorten the duration but keep up the intensity. I recently traveled home and had none of my normal means of working out except my running shoes. So I packed resistance bands and kept my workouts to about 20 minutes since the heat was intense. I ran a few mornings when it wasn’t as hot and found a local pool to swim laps in one day. It was far from perfect, but it was enough to keep my muscles working and stay fit!
2.Move your workouts inside
Hot temperatures and humidity can make exercising outdoors nearly unbearable and difficult to stay healthy in the summer. If you want to walk, run, bike or hike, then wake up early or go out later in the evening once it has cooled off a bit. This is also a great way to relax and unwind from a stressful day! If it’s still too hot, then go to the gym if you can or workout in your house with resistance bands, dumbbells, bodyweight exercises, and/or YouTube videos. Make sure to turn on a fan or the AC and drink plenty of water! You may need to keep your workouts short to help prevent overheating, in which case you can do workouts with high intensity intervals, circuit training, supersets, or tabata workouts.
3. Lighten up your meals
Summer heat can make big, heavy meals less appetizing. So take this time to experiment with some new recipes full of fresh flavors, nutrients and antioxidants. Have a protein smoothie with frozen fruit and spinach for breakfast, or enjoy fresh veggies with hummus as a snack. Load up salads with crunchy seasonal vegetables and berries. Try gazpacho or another cold soup for dinner. Have a homemade popsicle for dessert made from fruit juice with no added sugar. Instead of alcohol, try some mocktails like a mint mojito or grapefruit fizz to manage your weight and keep your liver healthy in the summer!
4.Evaluate your eating habits
Summer brings with it “fun foods” like watermelon, popsicles, BBQs, ice cream, cocktails by the pool, road trip snacks, and possibly other special foods that your family only eats during this season. The extra food and parties can make it hard to stay on track with healthy eating habits. If you want to enjoy summertime foods, they can all be part of a healthy diet, but eat in moderation with small portions to avoid excessive amounts of ultra-processed foods and sugar that can harm your health and cause unhealthy weight gain. Include a veggie at each meal to help fill you up so you’re less likely to go overboard on sweets, and enjoy fruit for snacks or dessert.
Eat a bit before going to parties and gatherings so you’re not ravenous. This way you’re less likely to overindulge but can still enjoy the summer fare. Also, stick to eating and drinking your special summer foods that you don’t get at other times of the year. This can help keep your plate balanced and your weight in check.
5.Stay active with summer activities
A great way to stay healthy in the summer is to change how you stay active and allow you to spend quality time with friends and family. Join some friends for a hike, paddleboarding, or kayaking. Take your kids to the pool and play with them or swim laps rather than sit on the side of the pool. Enjoy a family bike ride or hit the volleyball courts with some friends. Summer is a great time to enjoy playful activity and take a break from your usual workout routine if you need it.
