Something I still fall victim to is that summer burnout feeling. It’s so easy to fall out of routine when the summer offers so many possibilities—most of which involve socializing, spending, traveling, drinking, eating, and staying up late. There is always an excuse to celebrate in the summertime!
Honestly, coming from a 23-year-old girl in the cold state of Michigan—it’s the best time of the year. However, I have come to learn it all comes down to balance.
Overindulging, overspending, lack of sleep, and hangovers never feel good the next day. A little bit of discipline and mindfulness can take you a long way. You don’t have to choose between your routine and the fun summer days and nights that fall in between.
Here’s my take on summertime:
1. Plan ahead—pick your “fun days”
Sometimes spontaneity leads to the best nights. However, between working full-time and getting through my day-to-day tasks I like to schedule some fun things in between. No, this does not mean I schedule in when I’m going to drink, overspend, or stay up late. It simply means, when I look at my month ahead I’m selective with the days or weeks that I know I need to focus on myself (working, early wake-up calls, meal prepping, exercising, and so on) and I know the days when I’m going to a concert or up north. This way I can prepare myself for the month ahead accordingly. Sometimes I stick to my plan and have learned to decline an invitation when I’m not feeling up to doing something. Other times, my plan falls through and spontaneity takes over! Things change and plans change, but this approach has truly helped me find the balance I’ve always desired.
2. Stay hydrated
This will forever be one of those silly simple fixes that some people just don’t get. Drink your darn water. When you’re in the summer sun, whether it’s taking a run down a trail or day drinking out on the water—mix in a water. Bonus points for spicing it up with some citrus fruit juices or celtic sea salt for electrolytes!
3. Get outside, get some sunshine (but wear your sunscreen)
While sun exposure will always be a controversial topic, I come from the side of loving it. Of course, all things should be done in moderation, but there is nothing quite like the feeling of laying out in the warm summer sun. However, do your research and pick out a solid sunscreen before soaking up the sunshine! Opt for an EWG-approved sunscreen and use resources like The Healthy Living or Yuka app to pick one out!
5. Get your sleep!
At the end of the day, you do still need your sleep. I’m a true believer that a consistent lack of sleep is one of the biggest influencers of falling off track. A consistent lack of sleep will likely cause one of three outcomes (from MY experience.)
1) You stay up late, sleep in late, and fall into the cycle of trailing behind and blowing off more tasks that you intended to accomplish that day. Now you’re playing catch up the rest of the week.
2) You stay up late, wake up early, and push your body to run on a lack of sleep, leaving you to feel groggy, tired, and scatterbrained as you go about your day.
3) You get SICK. This is the worst because it is SO preventable.
Again, there’s nothing wrong with a late night—make up for it by going to bed early the next night or the one after that. A consistent sleep schedule allows your body to properly function and go about the natural processes it needs to do while you sleep.
6. Mindful drinking (if there is such a thing!) —
Day drinking and binge drinking are way over-glamorized in our society. While most health gurus will tell you to stay away from alcohol point blank—that’s a decision you get to make for yourself and based on your interests and stage of life. My current self would never get behind a day of drinking with my college self, but I still like to pick and choose the occasions when I can go out on a boat with family and friends or sit around a bonfire and have some drinks. I may not always feel this way, but right now I do. When I do choose to do so, I’m very selective with what I drink, and I’ve even developed a drinking routine to help my body out and avoid tomorrow’s hangover!
My Drinking Routine:
- I take two Liver Nutrients and one Vitamin B Complex twice that day, once in the morning and again at bedtime. At any point that day (typically before bedtime) I take one NoDaysWasted DHM Detox supplement (which was specifically created to prevent hangovers! My July Code)
- I mix in 1 water (or even sparkling water) for every 1-2 drinks (or even make a mixie with water!)
- I sober up before bedtime. For me, this is the KEY to not feeling awful the next day. I’ve learned my limits and typically set a time of when I want to cut myself off for the night so I don’t ruin my day tomorrow.
- Just trust me on this one, don’t drink anything that is bright blue, or for the fact of the matter, any neon color. There is literally no explanation needed.
Stay hydrated, get your sleep, get outside, wear your sunscreen, move your body, jump in the water, watch the sun set and rise, fuel your body with foods and drinks that make you feel good, and mix in some fun! Creating a sustainable, healthy, and happy environment around food, water, exercise, and rest will ensure success with your overall health all summer (and hopefully all other seasons of life to follow!)
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