Summer is right around the corner and this is the best time to refresh your body and build it up for the upcoming cold months. If we look at trends most people get sick in the winter and allergies in the Spring not because of the external environment but more commonly because of how they neglect the internal environment such as:
1) Less working out
2) Decrease sunlight meaning less vitamin D
3) Eating sugary foods from all the holidays
4)More emotional stress from the holidays and end of year
5)Staying indoors more based on colder weather
Even though we should ALWAYS be caring for our bodies, Summer must be an action oriented time to rebuild our health. Here are 3 important tips to maximize your Summer and accelerate your health.
1) Eat Greens Abundantly – During the summer months many of us will be outside for barbecues, hanging out by the pool, and heading to the beach to load up on Vitamin D, which is amazing! However some of us will overdo it and this creates extreme oxidative stress to the body and more free radicals for the system. Research is now showing that by eating greens that are rich in antioxidants can reduce sunburn and help your body absorb the levels of Vitamin D properly. My favorite is kale which should be bought organic as it is on the Dirty Dozen list. My favorite recipe for the summer is: 1 kale, 3 avocados, 1 red onion, and 1 red pepper all cut up put into a bowl and mixed together. Throw some Himalayan sea salt to taste and enjoy this antioxidant rich summer salad.
2) Sweat Once A Day – One of my favorite traditions that Lululemon is bringing to the market is to “Sweat Once A Day”. Many stores challenge their employees to be an inspiration to the community and get a sweat in at least once a day through physical activity. Sweating is a powerful tool to detoxify the body especially as most people are not sweating enough during the colder months so make sure to take extra yoga classes or go for a run outside this Summer.
3) Chemical Free Sunscreen – As many of us start looking for sunscreens and sunblocks to get I strongly encourage you to look out for a toxic chemical called “parabens”. Parabens are artificial preservatives that companies put in to the sunscreens to make them last longer. This is unfortunately sad because these chemicals are cancer “contributing” and have a severe negative impact on our health. According to cancer.gov, in 2004 a research study found an excess of parabens in 18 out of 20 breast cancer tumors. Parabens are also found in deodorants and soaps so be sure to look out for the following toxic ingredients: methylparaben, butylparaben, or propylparaben. You can get nontoxic chemical sunscreen on mercola.com or vitacost.com.
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