Summer is a great time to be healthy, get in shape and finally reach your New Year’s resolutions. Here’s a few top tips to help you out:
1. Stay hydrated
We all do it, when the days are hot, the only thing that pops into your head is food. Particularly in the summer months, it’s easy to mistake thirst for hunger. Just ask yourself before you reach for that burger and fries “am I really hungry? Or do I just need a drink?” – 9 times out of 10, you’ll find you simply need a drink to rehydrate yourself and curb those cravings.
Top Tip: Try herbal teas as they have a lot of benefits and will also help keep you hydrated.
2. Exercise early mornings or evenings
Exercise should be included as part of a healthy lifestyle – you’ll not only burn fat, build up and tone muscles, but you’ll also feel revitalised in the process. However, when temperatures are higher during the summer months, the best time of day to exercise with maximum affect is either early in the morning or later on in the evening. If you exercise during the day when the sun is at its peak, it is more likely to tire you out – which may make you give up.
Instead, an early morning run will wake you up and energise you, so you’re ready for the day ahead. Evening jogs work in a similar way – they will help you to wind down and de-stress, which is just what you need after a long day.
Top Tip: 30 minutes of exercise a day can help you lose weight and maintain a balanced diet.
3. Eat healthily
A healthy and well balanced diet is essential if you’re trying to stay fit and healthy. They say 80% of getting fit is based on what you eat, and only 20% is dependent on exercise. So the next time you’re shopping for groceries, fill your basket with fresh and colourful foods such as green vegetables, fruit and proteins – instead of junk foods high in fat and sweets or chocolates full of sugar.
Top Tip: Eat hydrating foods such as watermelon, tomatoes and cucumber – not only are they great to snack on and for replenishing fluids, but many contain important vitamins and minerals.
4. Wear sunscreen
One of the first things you should buy if you are going on holiday or spending summer in the UK, is sun cream. The sun is great – it can lift your mood and can help boost levels of vitamin D, but it can also be very harsh on your skin. When you’re out in the sun, you are exposing yourself to ultraviolet rays which can be potentially damaging to the skin, can age it prematurely and increase the risk of skin cancer. Wearing sun cream will help to protect you against the suns UV radiation and prevent it from reaching the skin.
Top Tip: If you’re out in the sun, make sure you use sun cream daily and regularly apply it throughout the day – especially when it is really hot.
5. Create an exercise plan
It’s all too easy to say you’re going to get fit this summer and start working out or running, but without a plan in place, it’s even easier to make excuses and not see those ideas through to reality. So, set some time aside to create an exercise plan; decide what exercise you want to do, what days you will exercise, at what time, and for how long – this way there will be no excuses and it will be scheduled into your week. If you are new to exercising, start slowly – go for a short run or a light jog twice a week, and then increase when you feel like you can.
Top Tip: Focus on health, not weight!
6. Sing until your heart’s content
In a recent article, it was noted that everyone has a Beyoncé in them, can this be true? According to Beyoncé’s father (Matthew Knowles), it is. Taking a one mile run and singing at the top of your voice will improve your vocal cords and send oxygen around your body, which will increase your stamina. Oxygen is one of two essential ingredients our cells need to survive, having only a small about of oxygen in our bodies can cause you to feel tired and exhausted. This is why we yawn, to get more oxygen inside our lungs!
Top Tip: Breathe in from your nose and out from your mouth, it will let more oxygen pass through your body.
7. Laugh
As one final tip, make sure you have a laugh! Not only is laughing the best medicine, it is also known for boosting your immune system, relaxing the whole body and relieving physical tension and stress.
Top Tip: Knock Knock jokes are always a good one!
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