As mid-June creeps up on us, staying healthy and active in the summer heat is no easy task.
But with a little help from the experts, you can beat the heat and keep that summer body fit and ready to go, as well as learn how to add a little color to your yard in the process.
Making good food a priority
Sugary drinks like sodas and juice are a tempting way to keep cool in the summer.
But they don’t help with maintaining a healthy weight.
Munson Medical Center’s Dr. Patrick Friedli says finding ways to ditch sugar and go for substance can put you on a path to success.
“To help with temptations, you have to really prioritize your go-to’s. You can never go wrong with water. If you could emphasize at least 60 ounces of water a day—if your next go-to could be some kind of vegetable option, make that prime and center in your fridge. If you could have a salad a day and finally a good healthy protein option, lean meats, turkey, chicken, tuna fish, egg whites—that’s all healthy protein. If you could emphasize those, your cravings for sugar will dissipate and that’s a really wonderful feeling. If you think I’m not even craving sugar, if you can just get that out of your life.”
Add a little color to your yard
Getting outside and sprucing up the yard is a great way to get some exercise and make some long-awaited improvements at the same time.
If your yard is looking a little bare, there’s still time to bring more into your life with flowers.
Rent-A-Gardener’s Allison Jackson has some recommendations before you head out to buy.
“Is it better to buy small perennials or larger ones that have blossoms? That is a matter of preference and depends on how quickly you want to see a mature plant in your garden spaces. Smaller plants can cost less initially and if planting in the heat of the summer may perform better than plants that are in full bloom. Plants that are a mature size and in full bloom will offer a finished look to your garden spaces and an immediate and visual statement.”
Go for a walk
The Cherry Festival 5k is a little more than two weeks away, and if you’ve been following our training plan, hopefully you’re feeling strong and confident.
But even if you’re not training, or running, just getting out is beneficial for your health and wellbeing.
Lisa Taylor from the Traverse City Track Club talks about what activity can do for you.
“Both running and walking are great and some people can’t run so there is where walking comes in as a super accessible form of exercise that you can do anywhere, anytime. Enjoy the five senses of nature, get out with other people. They both have similar values from a health perspective and a mental perspective. The intensity of running is just a little bit higher, so there’s a little more bang for the buck in terms of the time that you spend at that activity, so they’re both great. One might not be for the other, and so I’m a fan of both.”
