Five Reasons Why Summer is the Best Season to Start Your Wellness Journey

Hi Ladies,

How are you? I hope all is well. It has been a while since my last blog post. Despite my absence from this online forum, I have been busy serving my community. Since my last post, I completed a Community Health Equity Project that focused on wellness education for the management of chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes. The Community Health Equity Project also provided me the opportunity to empower children, teens, and adults with the knowledge and confidence to intentionally make choices and lifestyle changes that will lead to holistic health for themselves, their families, and their community. Everyone who participated in the Wellness Education Program received a wellness bundle to help them identify and incorporate positive lifestyle choices into their daily wellness routine.

I am excited to share these bundles with you on the website. But we don’t have long before the first official day of summer, so let us get into why summer is the best season to start your wellness journey. Despite the common tradition of most Americans to start their wellness journey during the first of the year, there are five definite reasons why the summer season is the best time to begin or enhance your wellness journey.

Fresh Food:

All the colorful fresh fruits and vegetables you need to fuel your body are in season and at your local grocery store or farmer’s market. Use this opportunity to create a colorful plate full of vitamins, antioxidants, and immune-boosting foods. Fresh fruits and vegetables can hydrate your body during the warm summer months. Use this time to get away from processed snacks and meals and incorporate healthy whole foods into your diet. Keep your meals fresh, light, tasty, and nutritious.

Increase Water Intake:

The summer season is a great time to incorporate more water into your diet. During the hot summer months, your body releases excess water when you sweat. One of the best ways to rehydrate your body is with “plain” old water. If you want to create an experience, try infusing your water with lemon, mint, berries, ginger, or citrus. Cut back on juice and sodas and give your body what it needs. Coconut water is also an option to incorporate into your diet when you need to replenish your body with electrolytes.

More Daylight Hours:

During the summer months, the days are longer. Longer days of sunlight provide the opportunity to get outside and move your body. Sunlight improves serotonin levels and provides a natural source of vitamin D. When choosing a time to go outside, consider going outside early in the mornings and after 4:00 pm to reduce the risk of skin damage from UV rays. If you plan to be in the sun for an extended period of time, be sure to use your sunscreen.

More Time with Family to Get Active:

The kids are out of school. Now is the perfect time to incorporate fun physical activities into your wellness routine that the entire family can enjoy. Don’t overthink it. “Getting active” can be as simple as a family walk after dinner. Consider introducing a new summer sport like soccer, kickball, swimming, and basketball into your family’s summer routine. If your family is not into sports, learning a new activity like gardening is perfect for the summer season. Get active, stay hydrated, and make a commitment to physical activity this summer.

Less Outside Influence:

During the summer months, kids are out of school. This is the perfect time for you and your family to introduce new foods into your diet without the opinions or influence of your peers.

Cut down on processed foods and incorporate some of the produce from your garden or incorporate fresh fruit and vegetables from your local farmers market into every meal. I encourage you to do this as a family. Create healthy meal and snack options together that fuel your body. Recently, I created a new rule for our family to decrease processed food consumption. The new rule requires everyone in our home to choose two healthy snacks (fruits,nuts, or vegetables) in combination with a cup of water before they can have an item from the pantry. The goal is to encourage healthy snacking and to create the habit of choosing healthy options first when we are hungry.

The five reasons listed above are my reasons why I believe summer is a great time to kickstart or enhance your wellness journey. Don’t let the summer pass you by without trying new positive lifestyle choices orrevisiting some of the healthy lifestyle choicesyou didn’t commit to earlier in the year. Feel free to share some of your favorite summer positive lifestyle choices you make during the summer.

Your sister in wellness,

Lauren