Make a habit of exercising in the morning, before the day’s activities blow your time away. Exercising in general releases endorphins that make you feel great. Exercising everyday in the morning can be before breakfast, or after, it can be as gentle as a morning walk, or an intense bike ride that really gets your heart pumping. The key is making it into a habit: Consistent, every day, rain or shine, although rain always demands creativity to figure out how to still exercise while staying dry!

There is nothing like the comforting feeling of sun on your skin, not to mention the stimulation of vitamin D production to strengthen your immune system. Only direct sunlight can stimulate vitamin D production. The sunlight we enjoy through a window doesn’t cut it because the UV-B rays that stimulate vitamin D production are filtered out. We have to meet the sun outside to get our vitamin D, and the most optimal time to do so is between 9am and 3pm. 

Habits to get us outside are: Walking or biking to work or school in the summer, eating on the patio in restaurants instead of inside, gardening for an hour everyday, shopping at outdoor farmers markets, and taking the kids and dog to the park everyday.

Too much of anything is not good, including sunlight. Be sure to protect your skin from early wrinkles and sunburn. Apply sunscreen before you venture out to enjoy the beautiful outdoors. Keep sunscreen close to the door so you remember to apply it before stepping outside. Getting into the habit of applying sunscreen before going outside will help protect your skin and make it easier to remember!

Summer is the season of fruits and vegetables! Although fruits and vegetables should be eaten all year round, in reality, most local fruits and vegetables are only found in the summer months. So, come summer, dig in! Fruit and vegetables should be eaten at every meal. Make a habit this summer of making salads, smoothies, snacking on berries, or having a platter of cut fruits and veggies on the table at every meal. According to the American Food Guide, adults should consume 2 to 3 cups of fruits and vegetables everyday. 

This means: One cup of apples, berries or other fruits at breakfast (or a breakfast smoothie), a salad with lunch and a salad with dinner. Making a habit of eating fruits and vegetables is the easiest, most reliable way of improving your diet.

Stay Hydrated: Staying hydrated, especially in the summer months is a must, and the best way to do it is to make drinking water into a habit. The average adult should drink 7-8 8 oz. glasses of water everyday. However, this is not a hard and fast rule, and must be considered based on your size and daily activities. The important thing about water consumption is to get into the habit of drinking water regularly; and if plain water is too boring, add a spritz of lemon or lime to make it more interesting. 

Here is a suggested routine that allows you to consume the right amount of water everyday:

Glass one: Start your day off with a cup of warm water with a spritz of lemon juice to kick start your liver to detox. 

Glass two and three: Fill your water bottle (typically a water bottle holds 16 oz. of water, which is equivalent to 2 glasses of water. Finish a water bottle before lunch. 

Glass four: At lunch

Glass five and six: Finish another water bottle between lunch and dinner

Glass seven: At dinner 

Glass eight: Between dinner and bedtime. People often mistake thirst for hunger, especially after dinner. This leads to unnecessarily snacking at night, a time where our bodies do not burn calories at the rate we do in the day time. When you find yourself hungry after dinner, quench your hunger with a glass of water, you’ll be surprised at how well it works!