A popular word that you may have heard buzzing around the health scene is the term wellness. As much as this word is used, there are still many people who are unaware of what exactly wellness is and how you can apply it to your life. How you go about practicing wellness looks a little different for everyone, but wellness as a concept involves incorporating healthy habits into your life on a consistent basis in order to promote your mental and physical well-being. You may choose to formulate this into a wellness routine, which is a combination of various healthy habits selected specifically for you and your unique situation. Whether it be meditation, a skincare routine, or even just skipping the drive-thru, you should aim to incorporate as many healthy habits as you can across every area of your life. 

Generally, there are 8 accepted dimensions of wellness: emotional or mental, environmental, financial, intellectual, occupational, physical, social, and spiritual (1). Depending on your short-term and long-term goals and what stage you’re currently at in your life, you may wish to tailor your wellness routine to highlight a few of these dimensions in particular. In this article, we will be focusing on how to adjust your wellness routine for summertime, when high temperatures, dry air, and overall busy schedules begin to add to your already hectic schedule. As you’ll see in later sections, summer wellness tips typically center around staying hydrated, resting well, and taking care of your skin. However, we will also be exploring fun summer tips, including good snacks to have around for yourself and your loved ones as well as some general summer health themes.

Summer And Health

When it comes to summer and health, there are a few areas of both physical and mental wellness to keep at the forefront of your mind. In terms of physical wellness, pay close attention to high temperatures, dry air, and sunrays. Too much sun exposure over a long period can lead to sunburn, dehydration, and heat stroke, so it’s important to be mindful about your outdoor activities. We’ll touch a little bit more on summer tips for skin as well as sunscreen tips for summer later on, but remember to protect your skin and hydrate often. A healthy fitness routine is just as important in summer as any other month, so try to stay active and eat well, making sure to give your body all the nutrients it needs on a daily basis.

With longer days and generally more pleasant weather, summer leaves many people feeling more optimistic compared to the winter months. However, it remains essential in summer health care just as much as the other seasons to keep an eye on your mental health. The summer months can be extremely hectic, filled with frequent plans, vacations, and trips to see family members, all while trying to maintain your work and life balance. You may want to consider adding meditation, journaling, daily planning, or extra time for self-reflection to your summer health and wellness routine in order to promote your mental well-being along with your physical well-being.

Read on to discover some unique summer health tips to help you stay cool and hydrated while keeping your mind balanced in the heat.

10 Tips To Stay Healthy In Summer

As we mentioned above, wellness is essential in the summer months just as much as all the others. However, since people are generally happier in warmer weather, tips for summer wellness are often overlooked. Below, we have provided a list of 10 tips to stay healthy in summer:

1. Rest enough. Longer days mean shorter nights. While this is great for boosting your mentality, it may be detrimental for your sleep schedule. Since summer is often one of the busiest times of the year, it’s extremely important to make sure your body has enough time to recharge after a long day of summer fun.
2. Exercise outdoors. Wondering how to stay fit during summer? Spending time outside may have the effect of improving blood pressure and heart rate, so taking your fitness routine outdoors may be an excellent way to freshen up your surroundings while also exercising in a healthier environment.
3. Enhance your vitamin D levels. The human body creates vitamin D when skin is exposed to direct sunlight. Vitamin D is one of the essential vitamins that your body needs every day, and its functions in the body include protecting bones and muscles, supporting immune function, and boosting calcium absorption (2).
4. Keep your food cool. Perishable foods like mayonnaise and dairy products may spoil quickly in the heat, so pack them away in a cooler with plenty of ice to keep bacteria from forming and causing sickness.
5. Engage with your kids. Warm weather in the summer months along with a prolonged break from school creates the perfect opportunity to do fun outdoor activities with your loved ones. From trips to the beach to family walks on a nearby trail, be creative and find ways to include your kids’ unique interests.
6. Dress smart. Wear lightweight, breathable clothing, preferably in light colors, to prevent overheating and reduce sweat. Heavy material and dark colors will soak up more heat from the sun.
7. Take advantage of fresh fruits and vegetables. Summer is the season of fresh harvests, with berries, cherries, melons, corn, tomatoes, and summer squash all reaching their peak in these warm months. Use them to whip up some healthy summer recipes packed full of nutrients that even the pickiest eaters will enjoy.
8. Make time for meditation. Hectic schedules in the summer months can leave you feeling overwhelmed at the end of the day. Try to take a moment of mindfulness in the morning or evening to center yourself and prepare for the day to come.
9. Adopt a skincare routine. Warm weather and outdoor exercise means more sweat and dirt clogging your pores, which can lead to breakouts. If you don’t already have a skincare routine in place, consider creating one with a simple cleanser and moisturizer, depending on your skin type.
10. Add a vitamin B12 supplement to your routine. If you find yourself feeling drained during your summer schedules, you may want to consider reaching for a B12 supplement in place of a coffee to give you a boost of energy in the afternoon.

10 Summer Safety Tips

Still thirsty for some more summer tips? On top of general health and wellness, safety can also become a major concern when spending time out in the heat. Use these 10 summer safety tips to protect yourself and your loved ones during the sweltering months.

1. Drink plenty of water. Dehydration can happen fast, especially under prolonged sun exposure. Be sure to hydrate well in order to keep your body functioning correctly and avoid interrupting your summer fun.
2. Eat water-rich foods. Eating foods that contain a high percentage of water, such as melons, strawberries, pineapples, oranges, and celery, can also help keep you hydrated under the hot sun.
3. Be careful with alcohol. Alcohol tends to dehydrate the body, so drinking excessive amounts while experiencing intense sun exposure (perhaps at the beach or the pool) may accelerate or worsen the effects of dehydration.
4. Wear hats and cover up. Reduce the damage that UV rays may cause to skin by wearing a cover when not sunbathing and a hat to shield your face.
5. Use sunblock. Another essential means of protecting skin from UV damage is using a sunblock with at least 30 SPF to block about 97% of UVB rays.
6. Protect your eyes. UV exposure can cause various problems in the eyes that lead to decreased vision, including cataracts, macular degeneration, and corneal damage. Utilize sunglasses or other protective eyewear to block at least 99% of UV rays.
7. Eat anti-inflammatory foods. Foods rich in omega 3 fatty acids may be able to reduce the risk of sun damage and possibly supplement the use of sunscreen in blocking UV rays.
8. Avoid the hottest times of the day. The sun reaches its peak in the sky around noon each day, so heat continues to build up from that point onward, making 3PM-4PM generally the hottest part of the day. Being outside during these hours increases the risk of overheating. As a result, you may want to plan outdoor excursions for early morning or evenings.
9. Stay within range of shade. If you begin to feel overheated while outside, you should seek out shade immediately in order to prevent or lessen the effects of heat stroke.
10. Throw out picnic leftovers. Food left in the sun for more than 2 hours may have begun to spoil. It may be best to throw away old cook-out leftovers rather than run the risk of bacteria in them making you sick.

Summer Wellness Ideas

Our summer wellness ideas branch into the realm of general wellness topics as well. With summer schedules often being more hectic than any other month, it may be hard to find time to plan out proper meals. However, the additional exercise that comes with venturing outside more frequently requires you to replenish your body’s fuel with a healthy supply of nutrients each day. If you feel that you or your loved ones are not receiving enough nutrients from your diet, one of the tips for summer that we suggest is adding a multivitamin to your routine, after first checking with your physician. 

Multivitamins are a great way to supplement your diet with a boost of micronutrients. Better Family’s Liquid Daily Multivitamin contains a diverse blend of essential nutrients such as B complex vitamins, vitamins A, E, D, and K, and important minerals like zinc, iodine, chromium, and selenium. This all-in-one liquid solution can be consumed sublingually and is more concentrated than other liquid multivitamins, making it the standout choice among competitors for fast absorption of only the highest quality micronutrients. Both safe and effective, our Liquid Daily Multivitamin is a great choice for any household and can be given to family members of all ages.

Resources

1. “The Eight Dimensions of Wellness.” William & Mary, 2022, https://www.wm.edu/offices/wellness/about/eight-dimensions/index.php.
2. Mayo Clinic Staff. “Vitamin D.” Mayo Clinic, 9 February 2021, https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-vitamin-d/art-20363792.