And, they have nothing to do with a swimsuit.
1. Local produce. Farmers markets. Backyard gardens. Fresh peaches and cherries. Carrots straight from the Earth. All the summer produce is here and it makes eating healthier even better! Yes, in our modern age we can typically get fresh produce twelve months out of the year, but this time of year it is more affordable, fresher, easier on the environment and it tastes entirely different! Summer means more flavorful and beautiful whole plant-based foods and if you start incorporating them now, you'll not only love the change in how you feel, you will develop a habit of eating plant-based whole foods that will last. If there are seasonal fruits and vegetables that you don't like, I encourage you to try and find the freshest ones you can and give them another try. You might find they taste completely different when they are picked fresh. It is a great time of year to rethink how you eat and how you grocery shop and there is no easier time to fill your kitchen and fuel your body with plant-based foods.
2. You know that early summer morning feeling? It is warm and sunny enough outside that you are inspired to get out first thing for a walk or even a swim. It’s time to jump at this opportunity to spend more time outside when the daylight hours are longer and the weather is warmer. If you haven’t found time to move and get outside by the end of your work day, it is likely light enough and maybe even the perfect temperature of the day for an evening walk after dinner. Starting a movement routine now means you will begin to practice moving in whatever form you love more often. It is easier to make this practice stick when the weather is inviting and by the time the daylight starts to shorten, your movement routine will already be a habit.
3. You are likely already at your healthiest. Most people report feeling mentally and physically best during the summer months. You may already be moving more and eating more nutritious foods and now it is time to double down. It is also a great opportunity to get intentional with these practices so that they stick and turn into habits. It is really hard to start new wellness practices when you are not feeling well. If you are experiencing seasonal depression or even just more tired during colder months, trying to begin a wellness routine of any kind will be more challenging. The best way to stick with habits is to always do the practices on the days that are you feeling well. That way when the days come when you don’t feel as great, you will already have developed the habits you need to feel better. Take advantage of more daylight, sunlight, Vitamin D, time spent outdoors and maybe even time off from work to start practices and turn them into habits. Once they are habits, they will be there to support you and make you feel great for the rest of the year.
4. You can actually make summer feel like it lasts longer. It happens every year in the year. Summer kicks off (side note: here in the Pacific Northwest it never really feels like summer until the Fourth of July) but either way it starts and I blink and it’s Labor Day. Back to school, back to shorter days and back to colder temperatures. All of this wonderful summer beauty and fun flies by in a flash. Summer is my favorite season, but it just doesn’t last long enough. Starting a wellness practice can actually slow down time, or at least make you feel like it is slowing down. Meditating on a regular basis will help you recognize the significance of each day. Being intentional with how you move your body, how you eat and how you take care of yourself will lead you to pause, slow down and take in what is happening around you. You can permanently relieve chronic stress with these practices, even when your work life, vacation life, personal life, just life in general doesn’t actually slow down. Perhaps most importantly, you can make this summer stand out over all others. Let it be a summer you remember. Let it be the summer that you radically cared for yourself and changed your life.
5. This summer is not starting off great. The news in the world is dark. Quite frankly, it feels like a terrifying and terrible time to be a woman in the United States, or a child in the United States, or a person of color in the United States. This is not the country I want to live in and raise my kids in. I spend a lot of my time recognizing that I’m afraid, I’m sad and it’s easy to lose hope. I need these practices to pull me out of the darkness. I don’t ignore what is going on, but I refuse to be stuck. Sitting in meditation, moving my body, treating it with love and respect when our country and society refuse to - these are significant practices for me right now and they really can move the needle and bring some light into the world. When I practice wellness, I can move forward in action. I can make good decisions, take better care of myself and my family and follow my purpose in life. I believe the world needs me and you to do all of this right now so that we can make change. We can rethink where we were, protest where we are and strive to make our communities, our country, our planet better – even when it feels really hard.
6. Six months from now you will start a new year feeling accomplished and healthy and opportunities will be knocking down your door. These practices will make you feel great, they can help you keep going when the world feels heavy and dark, they can slow down the frantic, stressful pace of life, and they can raise your energetic vibrations. It’s not about something that is woo-woo or even manifesting what you want, it’s about putting out positive energy into the world and receiving back the same thing. It is how karma works, it is how science works and it is real. By starting these practices today and keeping them up over the course of the rest of the year, you will experience change in your body, your mind and your spirit. You will be able to wake up the first day of the new year and be proud of something that you did for yourself. You will also be amazed at the changes around you and the life, the people, the opportunities that you now attract as you generate this positive energy. I want you to try it and I’ll be here with you every step of the way.
Curious about wellness practices? Interested in wellness coaching this summer? Want to know which wellness practices are right for you? I’d love to talk!
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