Summer is finally here! Boo-ya!

No more excuses, it’s time to get out, get active and to enjoy this awesome place we call home. This is my favourite time of the year not only for the warmer weather and longer days but for the shift towards a more positive attitude and an increase in energy in people (especially after the long cold winter we had).

Whatever your goals are this summer with respect to your personal health and wellness, I highly recommend you consider the following habits/strategies. I personally challenge you to try and incorporate each one of these into your daily/weekly routine and that you are able to have sustained energy and a positive attitude not only for the summer months but beyond.

1. Ditch the gym for a local park/hiking trail

Sunshine, nature sounds and fresh air – all things you can’t experience with gym-based workouts. Switch up your regular routine by adding in some cross training in the great outdoors. Options are endless but here are a few suggestions:

– Participate in an outdoor bootcamp or do a full body (no-equipment required) workout in a park
solo. Try being creative by using the surrounding environment for your exercises (i.e.,
benches, trees, grassy hills, or monkey bars).

– Walk/run the Signal Hill trail and aim to start from either end (the battery and cabot tower).
Be sure to track your time and challenge yourself to beat it each time you run/walk. Try
carrying a weight backpack for an added challenge.

– Grab a group of buddies and play a team activity/sport in an open field such as ultimate
frisbee, flag football, soccer, dodgeball, etc. Commonrodery promotes positive self
confidence.

2. Start a garden

This has been a goal of mine for quite some time and this year I will finally build my own garden. I have been growing herbs (indoors) for a while now but have yet to venture to an outdoor sustainable veggie garden. Even with our relatively poor climate, we can still grow just about anything outdoors, especially with a well-thought out garden. Most veggie superfoods including broccoli, spinach, kale, peppers, tomatoes, garlic and berries can be grown and harvested in your own backyard (and even year-round). I highly recommend purchasing the book “The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener” by Niki Jabbour as it details all the steps needed to build and grow great veggies and the kicker is that she lives in the maritimes which is very similar to our climate.

3. Drink “more” water

I don’t have to list the endless benefits of water to our bodily systems but I am here to challenge you to up your daily water consumption. Grab your isolated water container (if you don’t have one you can buy one at almost any department or health store and makes sure it’s BPA free) and make drinking water a top priority this Summer. Here’s a few cool water challenges:

– To make daily adequate water drinking a natural habit, try increasing your intake each week for
8 weeks. Start by drinking 0.25 x your bodyweight (BW) in oz for the first week, then add 0.05 x
BW in oz each week for 8 weeks (0.30, 0.35, 0.40, etc).

– Why not challenge your family or co-workers to a two-week water challenge for a great cause.
The Water Project  is an awesome initiative, simple to sign up and helps facilitate water opportunities in developing countries.   Visit www.thewaterproject.org for the details.

4. Practice mindfulness in a remote/peaceful location

According to Harvard Medical School, mindfulness is the practice of purposely focusing your attention on the present moment and accepting it without judgment. Mindfulness has been found to be a key element of happiness as reported in numerous scientific studies. We live in a fast-paced and hectic world and we multitask many of our daily duties which in turn creates stress, mind clutter and a loss of self. Allowing yourself to refocus your thoughts and actions through mindfulness reduces this “life tension” and enables you to enjoy the here-and-now, become more engaged in activities, manage stress better and an enhanced acceptance of self.

If you’re not doing so already, start some form of meditation by sitting somewhere peaceful (a hiking trail, a lighthouse or a park) and focus on your natural breathing or on a word or “mantra” that you repeat silently. 10 mins is all it takes to reap the mental benefits.

5. Make a weekly visit to the St. John’s Farmer’s Market

This one is a no-brainer. Make a trip to the St. John’s Farmer’s Market every Saturday from 9AM-2PM beside the Remax Centre where local farmers/growers offer fresh produce, herbs and high quality meats amongst other things. Many products are raised/grown through organic, free-range, grass-fed, and animal humane methods. Get to know our local farmers and help support this amazing resource.

6. Be more adventurous with your physical activity

Summer is a great time to be adventurous while you get fit. Activities such as kayaking/canoeing, water skiing, mountain biking, and trail running burns plenty of calories while improving your aerobic capacity and muscle strength, endurance and balance. In addition, pushing yourself outside your comfort zone gives you a real boost in self-confidence. Get out and enjoy this place!

7. Sleep better

Lastly, even though the days are longer and many people increase their level of activity during the Summer months, you should never sacrifice the quality or amount of restorative sleep during this time period. If you currently are not getting 7-8 hrs of sleep per night, make it a challenge to do so. Aim to stay the course with your bedtime and morning rise. Trust me, being able to get up early and feel well rested provides you with the opportunity to accomplish great things each day. Here’s another challenge, why not try to get up much earlier than normal and head out for a morning run/walk a few times per week. This is something I do with my 3yr old Boxer. Enjoy the serenity of a peaceful morning and feel good knowing you’ve accomplished a great health boosting activity even before your day’s “official” duties begin.

There you go, I have provided you with a handful of challenges which should enable you to enjoy the great outdoors and improve your overall well-being both mentally and physically.

As always, I ask that you kindly share  my posts/blog with your friends.

Knowledge is power!
Ryan aka Wellness by Oz