Time flies … today is the first week of summer! We think of summer as a time to eat lightly and be more active … but you’d surprised about how many of my clients find it MORE difficult to maintain a healthy lifestyle during the summer months. So many temptations including summer cocktails, BBQs, rooftop parties, weekends away, more time in the sun, sugar laden smoothies to name a few. Read my tips to help keep you on a healthy track for summer.

*I am a paid spokesperson for Align, but all opinions are my own. However, I am a big fan of Align as a probiotic and frequently recommend it.   

8 tips for a healthy summer

1. Stay hydrated. Warm weather and outdoor activities mean more fluid losses and risk for dehydration. Here are a few reasons why it’s important to stay hydrated: your brain and heart are composed of 73% water, lungs are about 83% water, skin contains 64% water and your muscles and kidneys are 79% water. Reference  Any decrease in hydration can affect overall health. You can reach for your water bottle now!

This is especially true if exercising in the heat. Exercise performance is impaired when you are dehydrated by
as little as 2% of body weight. Losing 5% of your body weight can decrease sports performance by 30%. Try weighing yourself before and after a workout to check for fluid loss. Not only will your game suffer, dehydration can be dangerous to our health. So make it a point to consume adequate fluids if you plan on spending time in the sun or heat. I often recommend consuming a beverage with added electrolytes (or add an electrolyte tablet to water) if you’ll be exercising in the heat and/or sweating profusely.

2.Take advantage of summer fruits and vegetables. No more boring winter produce! Fill at
least ½ your plate with vegetables. Snack on fruit and add to yogurt and smoothies. Eating more produce will help with weight management, heart health, many gastrointestinal conditions, diabetes, decreased cancer risk and overall health. Read my previous post on 22 Tips to Increase Your Intake of Vegetables. Only 16% of us eat enough vegetables!

3. Take a probiotic. Summer often means traveling, stress, and a change in diet. These can all wreak
havoc on our digestive health. No one wants digestive upset at the BBQ! Taking a probiotic can help keep your system in balance and maintain digestive health. I often recommend Align probiotic. Align is the only probiotic supplement that contains Bifantis – a unique patented strain of beneficial bacteria that helps promote and support a healthy digestive system.* Align doesn’t need to be refrigerated, making it the perfect probiotic supplement to pack for your travels and weekends away. Align can help fortify your digestive system to Live 24/7*§.

See my previous post on Maintaining Digestive Health While Traveling

4. Find new outdoor activities. Summer is a time to get out of the gym and exercise outdoors. Here a few activities to try:
-Biking (you can get access to bikes everywhere in NYC and tons of biking paths) Or if you are more hardcore, try a ride with a local cycling club.   (pic is of me!)
-Outdoor bootcamp (just google outdoor bootcamp in your area. There are many to choose from in NYC)
-Hiking, (check out these hiking trails a bus or train ride away from NYC )
– Kayaking (free kayaking in NYC)
– Swimming (there are many free outdoor pools in NYC with lap lanes )
– For more tips, check my colleague Alissa Rumsey RD’s blog post on outdoor workouts

5. Get your steps in. Forget cabs and uber – save money and get in exercise at the same time by walking more. Need a challenge? Just do a search of online step challenges. You’ll find tons of them.  

6. Socialize with outdoor activities rather than Happy Hour. Meet friends for a run, outdoor bootcamp, a speed walk in central park or a game of tennis.

7. Protect your skin with sunscreen. Warmer weather more time in the sun. While that’s great for Vit D levels, it’s not so good for your skin. To avoid looking like a wrinkled prune by September, and the more serious increased risk of skin cancer, including melanoma, follow these tips taken from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for proper sun protection:
a. The hours between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. daylight savings time (9 a.m. to 3 p.m. standard time) are the most hazardous for UV exposure in the continental United States. UV rays are the greatest during the late spring and early summer in North America
b. CDC recommends easy options for sun protection:
-Use sunscreen with sun protective factor (SPF) 15 or higher, and both UVA and UVB  protection. 
– Sunscreen wears off. Put it on again if you stay out in the sun for more than two hours, and after you swim or do things that make  you sweat.
– Check the sunscreen’s expiration date. Sunscreen without an expiration date has a shelf life of no more than three years, but its shelf life is shorter if it has been exposed  to high temperatures.  (pic credit)

8. Beware of liquid calories. Warmer weather means more thirst. Those frozen coffee drinks and
smoothies go down fast and the calories can add up FAST! For example, many smoothies at popular juice chains can contain over 400 calories and 50 grams of sugar (20 oz ). And frozen coffee drinks can also contain up to 400 calories and 66 grams of sugar (16 oz portion). Make sure you check out the calories online before ordering. Sometimes our bodies crave these drinks as we are really thirsty due to the warm weather so make it a point to drink plenty of water and stay hydrated.

Bottom line, with a little planning, you can still enjoy the summer and end up even healthier by Labor Day!

Do you have any tips to share on how you plan on staying healthy this summer?

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  §With continued daily use.  

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease

Align partnered with bloggers, such as me, to get the word out about its great product benefits. As part of this program, I received compensation for my time. Align’s policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) guidelines and social media engagement recommendations.  Get an Align coupon here!