Using the Summer to Increase Energy and Health

Energy is the currency that gives humans the capacity to do what they want to do in life with optimal physical engagement, emotional regulation and mental focus. Environmental variables like the weather and the hours of daylight can help increase energy (Keller et al. 2005).

That’s why there’s nothing like the plentiful warm sunlight of summer to improve moods, increase energy and inspire active, healthy habits (Park et al. 2021). In fact, if you help clients harness this seasonal bump in energy and activity to adopt better physical and mental health today, you’ll be setting them up for success when the days grow shorter and colder.

See “How to Think About Mental and Physical Energy,” below, for some context on what mental and physical energy are, where they come from and how you can wrap your brain around the differences.

Year-Round Mental Energy Increases

While the summer sun often naturally lifts moods and encourages alertness, the darker, colder winter months can do the opposite (Park et al. 2021). Being indoors under unnatural light in closer and more frequent interaction with distracting technology can have a negative impact on mental energy (Hawes et al. 2012).

To overcome these seasonal challenges, it’s helpful to be more intentional every day about habits that help boost focus, while decreasing mental fatigue and distraction.

Take Mental Breaks

The first step in developing better focus, mood and all-around mental energy is in understanding that your brain, just like your body, needs a break to rest and recover. Humans can focus effectively for only about 2 hours before experiencing mental fatigue that negatively impacts energy and performance (Lavie 1979).

Try this: Taking a short break every few hours to stand up and go for a short walk or perform another activity that doesn’t require a high mental demand can help improve mental focus and performance overall (Buch et al. 2021).

Practice Mindfulness

The practice of mindfulness has been found to be highly effective for preventing mental fatigue and improving energy (Kudesia, Pandey, & Reina 2020; Kodesia 2019). The Oxford Dictionary online defines mindfulness as: “A mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations.”

Mindfulness practices that bring awareness, calm and focus can improve self-regulation of attention. This can decrease mental and emotional fatigue by decreasing distraction and neural activation (Kudesia 2020; Reina & Kudesia 2020).

Try this: A powerful tool to improve mindfulness is deep breathing. Taking a few slow, deep breaths at intervals throughout the day can create a sense of focus and calm, helping decrease distraction and multitasking habits, while improving mental energy levels (Dusek & Benson 2009).

Sidetrack Distractions

Consider the impact of distraction on mental energy. Distracting thoughts of the past and future, in addition to the “dings, rings and pings” of modern technology can cause attention to be split in many different ways.

This attempt to “multitask life” quickly depletes the brain’s energy resources, causing mental fatigue and emotional agitation (Kudesia, Pandey, & Reina 2020).

Try this: An effective practice that can improve mindfulness is eliminating as many distractions from the environment as possible. Putting away devices, turning off notifications and limiting distraction from other sources throughout the day can decrease the impulse to multitask.

See also: A Holistic Approach to Mental Health 

Year-Round Physical Energy Increases

Exposure to ample daylight and the increase in opportunities for outdoor physical activity are a few of the factors that make summer a powerful time to recharge for physical energy. During the darker, colder days of the rest of the year, it’s also important to be intentional about these and other habits that support health and vitality. Interestingly, many of the habits that impact physical energy have a dramatic impact on mental energy, as well!

Move

The average American is inactive for more than 9.5 hours per day, decreasing blood circulation and interfering with a variety of other metabolic functions that impact physical energy (Matthews et al. 2021). Intentionally moving more throughout the day can help improve physical <I>and<I> mental energy.

Try this: Longer bouts of regular exercise can have a significant impact, but even short movement breaks like stretching, taking a short walk or even standing up occasionally can increase circulation and metabolic activity, providing an energy boost (Bergouignan 2016).

Being active during a mental break every few hours is a great way to become intentional about moving more, while giving your brain a break, too.

Exercise

To add to an array of other health benefits, exercise can be a potent energy-booster, with (Puetz, Flowers, & O’Connor 2008). While 150 minutes per week of exercise is recommended for optimal health, research has found that any amount of exercise—whether performed continuously, intermittently or as a single bout—can create adaptations in the brain and body that improve energy and health (Piercy et al. 2018; Philip et al. 2021; Loy, O’Connor, & Dishman 2013; Lundby & Jacobs 2016; Stamatakis et al. 2021; Stamatakis et al. 2022).

Try this: Find a physical activity you enjoy doing, make it challenging and do it frequently to experience an exercise-induced energy boost all year long. To make it easier to stick with exercise habits when winter weather makes outdoor exercise less appealing, make sure to include some vigorous activities that can be done indoors. Dancing, resistance training and group exercising all offer an opportunity to exercise regardless of the outdoor environment, which can also be helpful on summer days that are too rainy or hot to enjoy outdoor movement.

See also: Running Speed Conserves Energy

Sleep

Sleep is an intentional recovery period in the human biorhythm and is an important factor impacting physical and mental health. Both quantity and quality of sleep are important for physical energy. When adequate sleep is achieved, both physical and mental energy thrive. When it isn’t, the brain’s ability to exert energy to focus and self-regulate is compromised.

Researchers recommend 7–9 hours of quality sleep per night for optimal health, energy and performance (Hirschkowitz et al. 2015). While the shorter daylight hours of the non-summer months can positively impact the number of hours slept (more “night” equals more opportunities for sleep), limited daylight can be problematic (Anderson et al. 1994). Many mechanisms involved with creating “sleep” and “awake” are regulated by sunlight (Mead, 2008). When eyes absorb sunlight, it sends a signal to the brain that it’s daytime so “awake” hormones and neurotransmitters should be released. The same phenomenon exists with the darkness of night and “sleep” hormones and neurotransmitters.

Intentionally spending time in sunlight during the shorter daylight months of the year can help re-establish the brain’s natural day/night cycle. This can improve alertness and energy during the day and promote better sleep at night (Takasu 2006).

Try this: There are numerous bedtime habits that have been found to improve sleep quality and quantity. To reap the improvement in mental and physical energy from quality sleep, it’s important to be mindful of how daily activities, diet, sleep environment and bedtime rituals either contribute to, or interfere with, sleep.

Fuel Up to Increase Energy!

Food is the primary fuel source for the body and the brain. When food is consumed, it’s broken down into nutrients that all bodily cells use for repair, regeneration and energy production. The quality and quantity of food consumed can have a dramatic impact on how much energy is available.

While some nutritional trends and recommendations change frequently, there are consistent, well-established guidelines that appear to have a positive impact on health and energy: for example, eat more vegetables! Summer, when roadside stands and grocery stores overflow with fresh produce, is the perfect time to develop or rekindle a love of these nutrient-rich foods.

Also keep in mind that nearly every process in the human brain and body requires water. Drinking water frequently throughout the day aids in preventing fatigue and optimizing health and energy (Pross et al. 2014). This can be particularly important to pay attention to during summer months, when heat can deplete the body’s hydration quickly, especially during physical activity.

Try this: Due to different genetic, metabolic and other factors that impact an individual’s relationship between food and health, it’s important to develop an individual awareness of how different quantities and qualities of food impact your energy.

Foods high in nutritional value and low in non-nutrient additives like sugar have more materials for creating and maintaining energy. Fruits, vegetables, proteins, healthy fats, and whole grains are great options for an energy-packed meal or snack. To improve mindful eating, identify each of these on your plate when eating, and limit distractions like television when consuming food (Robinson et al. 2013).

After eating, take an “inventory” of how your body responds. How do you feel after eating a large amount of food, especially if it is of poor nutritional value? Which foods make you feel tired or give you digestive upset? Which give you the energy to do what you want to do in life? Use what you know to make energizing choices in the future. (For more methods of mindful eating, see “Eating for Energy,” below.)

Don’t Wait Another Minute (or Month) to Increase Energy!

You deserve to have the energy it takes to live the life you want to live—not just in summer but year-round. These simple, daily habits can supercharge your physical and mental energy during these warm and friendly months so they’re easier to continue even when the air is cold, the days are short and the nights are long.

See also: Summer Self-Care Tips