Summer Self-Care Tips

The past years have been a rough road for most people, and now is a great time to review some self-care tips for summer. As warm weather approaches, nurture yourself with these suggestions from fitness and wellness experts from across the country.

Physical Self-Care Tips

• Always have water handy, advises June Kahn, founder of June Kahn’s Bodyworks LLC. “The warmer weather and sunshine can really dry us out. A good rule of thumb is to drink a minimum of half an ounce of water for each pound of your body weight, and I would suggest a bit more!”
• When you’re outside, one of the core summer self-care tips is to reapply protective sunscreen during the day, Kahn urges. “After two bouts with melanoma, I can say protecting your skin from the sun is vital to your health.” She recommends sunscreen with 30+ SPF with zinc and a large-brimmed hat. “When hiking, apply sunscreen even if wearing leggings, especially perforated ones, as you can get sunburn through clothing.”
• Allow yourself sufficient time to regain any fitness lost during previous months, says Richard Eastwick, MEd, a certified fit pro based in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. “Go slowly and appreciate small gains in performance. This will help prevent injury and illness.”

Spiritual Self-Care Tips

• “Being a yoga and meditation specialist, of course I recommend both,” says longtime yoga teacher Stacy McCarthy. To set a different tone for the day, she suggests waking up an hour earlier. “Having time in the morning to do things you love—like journaling, lingering over a cup of tea or even a few sun salutations—starts your day off calm and content. You can then take that same energy into even the most hectic of days.”
• Since our thoughts can often be negative, Mehrad Nazari, PhD, MBA, whose work focuses on applied spirituality, suggests intervening to create change: “Every time you catch yourself having a negative thought, consciously replace it with a positive one. Gratitude thoughts are great replacements for this practice.”

Emotional Self-Care Tips

• “Put together a playlist of songs that make you feel grateful or hopeful. Listen to it when you are doing chores or running errands. Let the mood get inside you. You’ll get extra endorphins if you sing along!” These fun summer self-care tips are from Kelly McGonigal, Stanford health psychologist and author of The Joy of Movement: How Exercise Helps Us Find Happiness, Hope, Connection, and Courage (Avery 2019).
• Balance exercise stress with equal recovery time, says Eastwick. “Recovery comes in many forms, including adequate sleep, meditation, yoga, light stretching, socializing and volunteerism.”
• Schedule 5 minutes daily to meditate (or for a midday savasana in lieu of a power nap), says Lawrence Biscontini, MA, a mindful movement specialist currently based in Greece. As the Chinese proverb says, “We can’t serve tea from an empty teapot,” so take care of
  yourself first, says Biscontini.

See also: Self-Care for Fitness Professionals