Summer is Finally Here

Since it is officially now summer, it is the best time to take action with your health.  If you already started, kudos to you!  If you haven’t, that is ok, and this time of year is a great reminder of how important it is to exercise outdoors while you can.  Many of us have fallen into the trap of sitting around for most of the pandemic and watching tv while eating.  This is a coping mechanism.  If you have gained weight, don’t fret, just push ahead.  I suggest making a plan and taking action, let’s say starting July 5^th.  (this gives you 1 more cheat day, July 4) .

This plan should include at least one type of daily exercise – for 10 min or more and cutting down on sugar and bad fats.  This includes, bagels, cakes, cookies, fried foods, margarine, vegetable oils, and more. Here is a sample of how to get started by July 5.

Make sure you have a plan of what you will do before that date, so you can be ready to begin. Looking at the picture above, it can motivate you to want to get in a bathing suit and head for the beach.  You don’t need to look perfect, you just need to feel good and that you are taking steps to taking care of yourself.

Sample jumpstart your health plan for summer 2021:

Exercise – Start with 10-20 minutes daily, then work your way up to 60 min daily by end of summer/fall.

Choose simple, easy-to-do exercises.  These include walking, jogging, biking, tennis, golf, gardening, and more.  On rainy days, walk/run on treadmill or stepper if you have.  If you don’t, do jumping jacks, jog in place, march in place, go up and down stairs, etc.

Add light weights 2 to 3x per week to build muscle and bone health.  

Cut down on all food, snacks and dressings that contain any type of sugar.  The only type you can have is stevia or locanto/monkfruit, which are natural sweeteners and , low glycemic.  Increase fresh fruits instead.  Cut out the processed junk that is loaded with sugar.  Learn to make your own desserts with fruit, chia seeds, coconut, açaí, and use the natural sweeteners discussed, if needed.  Not only will you have less cravings, you will lose weight naturally as well.

Cut down or eliminate all unhealthy fats.  It is very important to work towards eliminating unhealthy fats.  Fried foods are the worst for our bodies and might be the reason people get a chronic disease.  Also, vegetable oils, refined oils, partially hydrogenated oil can also cause illnesses in our bodies.  Stick with natural fats, butter is actually ok in moderation. Unrefined olive oil is good as well, but if cooking with it, make sure it is on a low/medium flame.  There are many other healthy oils, make sure they are in a dark bottle to preserve freshness and refrigerate all oils if keeping more than 3 months to avoid rancidity.

Drink lot’s of water and eat watery fruits/vegetables.  Make sure you drink a minimum of 8 cups of filtered water per day and more if out in the sun.  We are made up of 2/3 water, so the less you drink, especially in hot weather, the greater the chances of dehydration.

What will your health plan of action be for this summer?