I’m so excited that summer has started, I love the heat and love the sunshine! But in the midst of this hot and humid summer season, I still have lots of gratitude for our fans and air conditioning too. When searching for a photo for this blog, I couldn’t help but stop on this photo that Jason took of Leica, our Luminous Warrior, in July 2013. Her happiness radiates from this picture and I had to share it with you.

My hope during these dog days of summer, is that we can all find our own joyful moments. Here are a few summer wellness ideas to help you stay hydrated, connected, and enjoying yourself.

Enjoy the Outdoors
Get outside and connect with nature. Go for a walk, go to the beach, jump in the lake, enjoy a bike ride, or grab a blanket or lawn chair and read a book outside. Give yourself the gift of time. Breathe deep and fill up your lungs. Kick-off your shoes and walk in the grass barefoot. Ground and let yourself feel good. There are so many ways we can choose to nourish ourselves.

Get Some Sun
Turn your face up and enjoy the wonderful sunshine and beautiful fresh air. Sunshine will stimulate your mitochondria and if you expose your belly, the microbes in your belly will thank you. To protect your skin from the summer sun, Jason and I use 100% Aloe to help support our skin. We use the spray aloe from Thrive Market and we’ll put it on our skin a couple of times a day. You can also use coconut oil, which has a natural SPF of 4.

I also recommend checking out the Environmental Working Group (EWG) Guide to Sunscreens for what sunscreens are clean to use. We support EWG and donate to them and are always a great source of research so you can make educated, healthy decisions about everyday products.

Stay Hydrated
For optimal hydration, we need both filtered water and electrolytes or minerals. Staying hydrated, especially in the summer, is so important because we lose a lot of our water and electrolytes when we sweat. To replenish my electrolytes, I’ll add a packet of Revitalize to 32 ounces of filtered water to help fuel my body’s energy production.

Or you can also add fruit to water and/or use unrefined salt on your food. Here’s a healthy homemade electrolyte drink:

20 oz of Filtered water
The juice from a squeezed lemon, lime, or orange
1-2 TBS of maple syrup

For optimal hydration, the number of ounces of clean filtered water per day can vary person to person. The calculation I always use is: 50% of your body weight in pounds = the number of fluid ounces we need at baseline. (So, 75 oz is the amount for 150 lbs.) You can also calculate your activity level and the climate you’re in here with this water intake calculator and it will determine how much you should drink on a daily basis.

Connect with Friends and Family

Spending time with family and friends is one of the most important self-care practices I’ve found that charges my battery. We all thrive on human contact and it’s important to remember to be there for those we love and those around us. If you’re in need of a few easy backyard BBQ ideas, check out our recipes for BBQ Turkey Burgers and Mixed Berry Crumble.

There are endless opportunities to take advantage of these longer summer days. Healthy self-care is always within your reach. At Carpenter Physical Therapy and COR Health Solutions, we are dedicated to helping you live a healthy, active life. Ready to feel good about yourself? Join us for an upcoming online class HERE.

SUMMERTIME GRATITUDE