“Sea. Breathe. Salt. Air. Coconut. Tan. Waves. Sun. Lemons. Detox.”
You know it’s summer when…
Everything looks a little brighter! Open your heart to all the exciting opportunities ahead of you! Play. Swim. Dance. Stay up late on starry nights with friends around the bonfire. Wake up earlier to have a go at a brand new day. Catch the happy bug! Life is happening now, so let’s take advantage of this sun-shining day.
Check out my tips for taking care of yourself and have a blast this summer!
Body
Refresh
1. Hydration. We are (supposed to be) sixty percent water. A puffy face, dry and wrinkled skin, lack of energy, excess body fat due to an insatiable appetite — all signs of dehydration, and all reasons to drink more water! “The rule of thumb is, if you’re thirsty, you’re already dehydrated. Keep well hydrated by drinking plenty of water, even before you begin your outdoor activity,” says Dr. Irvin Sulapas, a primary care sports medicine physician. Do carry a water bottle with you all day long! H2O is the elixir of life, period.
2. Nutrition. The word of the moment is “detox”. Your body is in constant detoxifying mode, regardless of what you’re feeding it. That said, what you’re feeding it affects how effective the detoxifying process is. You want to look good? Feel good? Besides drinking lots of water, eat the right foods to keep your metabolism working and assist your detox organs all day long. Hot weather brings a natural appetite for fruits and vegetables in season, light snacks and cooling foods. Add these highly recommended foods to your grocery list: watermelon, pineapple, apples, grapefruit, avocados, leafy greens, sweet potatoes, walnuts, tahini, coconut oil, and ingredients to make lots of yummy green, berry or yogurt smoothies!
3. Skincare. Oh goodness, here’s a hot topic. To wear sunscreen, or to soak-in more vitamin D? Let’s turn to the experts. Kim Pfotenhauer conducts research on the topic at Touro University and states, “People are spending less time outside and when they do go out, they’re typically wearing sunscreen, which essentially nullifies the body’s ability to produce vitamin D. While we want people to protect themselves against skin cancer, there are healthy, moderate levels of unprotected sun exposure that can be very helpful in boosting vitamin D.” However, an Australian study showed no difference in vitamin D levels between adults randomly assigned to use sunscreen one summer and those assigned a placebo cream.
Numerous epidemiological studies have shown that higher intake or blood levels of vitamin D are associated with a reduced risk of cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute. The same institute that cites four million cases of diagnosed skin cancer per year. The debate continues... My advice for skincare? Two words: pamper and protect. Keep your skin well moisturized (the coconut oil on your grocery list doubles as an excellent all-natural moisturizer!). Soak in the sun. Wear a hat. Be smart. Avoid getting burned, but don’t be afraid of the sun. For me, it comes down to the fact that your skin is an exposed organ for a reason. Right?
4. Activity. There are so, so many activity options when the weather gets warm! What’s your favorite? I’d say tennis, followed by hiking, water-skiing, dancing at concerts, beach volleyball, napping in a hammock, and more! I’ve come to realize the ultimate body catharsis is dripping sweat.
Despite all my talk of activities, I’m guilty of letting words (or weather) get in the way. “It’s too hot,” “It’s too cold,” “It’s windy,” “It’s raining,” “It’s too late.” Why do we waste more energy on finding reasons “why not” than finding reasons why? Pour your energy into actively being human. At the end of each day, you should feel emptied but full as the moon. Play a game outside. Swim in the lake. Go for a walk. Call your girl Katie for some tennis “love”. Live it up, babe. Show me your fullest, fastest, fittest self!
5. Sleep. It is the loveliest activity of inactivity known to human. Are you getting enough sleep? Here are the facts, according to the National Sleep Foundation. Man is the only mammal that willingly delays or deprives themselves of sleep. Exercise makes it easier to fall asleep and contributes to sounder sleep. Yet exercising sporadically or right before bed makes falling asleep more difficult. Insomnia is common for divorced, widowed and separated people. People with prescription sleep aids often admit to misuse of the drugs. Caffeine has been called the most popular drug in the world, and it negatively affects sleeping habits. Most healthy adults need seven to nine hours of sleep a night. Newborns sleep a total of 14-17 hours a day. There are individual differences in the need to nap. Snoring is the primary cause of sleep disruption for millions of American adults on a regular basis. Studies show promise for the use of melatonin in shortening the time it takes to fall asleep and reducing the number of awakenings, but not necessarily total sleep time. Other studies show no benefits with melatonin. Being awake for 16 hours straight decreases your performance as much as if your blood alcohol level were .05% (the legal limit is .08%). Sleep is as important to healthy living as diet and exercise. Be sure to catch those zzzz’s.
Mind
Relax
6. Meditation. How often do you really watch the clouds float in the sky? Lying on your back in the grass? Cell phone out of reach? Long enough to forget about tick-tocking time? Just like your body needs rest, so does your mind! As I get older, I catch myself overthinking more and more. Granted, when I was five years old the biggest problem in my head was whether my name was Catherine, Katie, or Bear (just one of my many nicknames) — a crisis of identity, you could say? Joking aside, these days my problem starts with something as simple as what I’m going to eat for breakfast or how I’m going to pay the bills and turns into a crisis of identity!
One of my twenty-something friends, possibly overworked and tired, said she literally asked herself, “Do you think before you think?” A valid question. Here’s what I’ve come to realize: all these layers of thought are getting in the way of experience. Experience shapes you. The real you. And the key to happiness is to live the moment in your heart, not your head. Have some time alone — preferably lying down on a blanket in the sun. Strip down the layers of your thoughts and let your feelings go. What’s your mantra? Say it with me, “I am strong as the earth. I am light as the air. I am created for infinite possibility.”
7. Communication. To speak is as powerful an act as to listen. Take more walks to chat with your friends. Take more walks to interact with nature. All things are connected in the circle of life. Connect. Find a new creative outlet or start working on an old one again. Tell your story in all ways possible — how you dress, how you act, how you smile, how you do. Do you.
8. Learning. What are you doing in your “free-time” moments? Catch yourself scanning your phone over and over again? Overthinking a work problem? Here’s a tip to use these little moments throughout your day for growth opportunity. 1) Hit the books. A reader lives a thousand lives and gains more insight to his/her own story. 2) Hit up a mentor (or your mom, she misses you). Keep in touch with people who are positive influences on your life — people who know more than you. They teach you. They humble you. They give you perspective, or a good hug. Someday you’ll be that person for someone else! 3) Hit up some positive lifestyle articles online (oh, nice!).
9. Examination of Consciousness. Let me tell you about the neurology of the blind-spot. The human eye is fairly accurate at observing an enormous array of information from the world around us, but it does have its limitations. VeryWell cites, “One example of this is a blind spot or a small portion of the visual field that corresponds to the location of the optic disk located at the back of the eye. The blind spot is the location on the retina known as the optic disk. Because there are no cones or rods at this point on the retina, there is a very small gap in the visual field. You literally have a very tiny gap in your vision where you are essentially blind. Researchers have proposed a number of different explanations as to why we do not notice this blind spot. Some suggest that the opposite eye compensates for the missing visual information. One of the most commonly accepted theories is that the brain actually fills in the missing information using visual cues in the environment. Even if you close one eye, the blind spot is almost impossible to detect. This is because your brain is so adept at providing the missing visual information so that you never notice that small gap in your visual field.”
Here’s what I think. Each of us has a psychology of the blind-spot, just like we have the neurology of the blind-spot. It’s a visual gap in our life-perspective. Maybe it’s a gap between our head and our heart, and sometimes we need to take a moment to step away, to examine what we’re missing in the scenario, and bridge the gap of understanding for ourselves. We also need to give ourselves a break sometimes. It’s okay. Things will work out. Keep doing your best. We (literally) cannot see the whole picture, so just relax. All will be well. “Bibia be ye ye.”
Life
Rejuvenate
10. Minimalism. I don’t want to overstay my welcome on your screen, so here it is: cut, cut, cut. Cut out all the things that are hindering you. Cut out the thoughts and false beliefs that are holding you back. Cut out the habits that are bad habits — by filling yourself up with so many good habits there’s no room for them anymore! Cut out the friends who aren’t really good friends. Declutter your life this season! Get back to the basics. Life is about love, and you’ve got to make sure there’s always room for more love (and dessert) in your life.
11. Order. Give yourself a priorities-check today. Family? Friends? Work? Faith? Tv? Studies? Fitness? Social media? Shakeup your routine and figure out what’s working and what’s not. It comes down to your sense of purpose — for yourself, for your loved ones, for the world. What’s your purpose today? What’s your ultimate purpose? Everything in your life should be ordered to this, and this should be love. Take chances. Make commitments. Treat others with compassion. Treat yourself with care. Never forget that in all the chaos of our crazy-beautiful-astonishing lives burns an eternal love. We are all worthy of love.
Bonus Tip!
Drink tea. Lots of it. There are so many health benefits! Whether it’s green, peppermint, chai, senna, chamomile, oolong, rooibos, earl grey, hot or iced. You bring the cuppa. I’ll bring the tea. Here’s to fun, sun and happiness. Peace!