Spring’s attributes of opening, watering and ventilating has lead to summer… and with the solstice just passed, we are in full swing of Summer, and it feels great!
The attributes of each season have a natural governance and relationship with our health. We are part of the climate and environment that surrounds us. Summer, a season of heat and expansion is a time to increase activity levels, push harder, tone, sweat, cleanse. It is also a time to be careful about overheating.
Thoughts and actions engaged in during the present inform our future reality. Conversely, how a person experiences the present was informed by their level of health during the previous season. If you had a hard time in the spring (with flare-ups, aching joints, pain, allergies etc), you can do something about it by creating better health / wellbeing now.
Summer Wellness tips to inform the year forward:
Practice mindfulness and take space to honor your needs on all levels (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, relational)
Summer is a great time to commit and accelerate progress on physical fitness and health goals.
Warmer seasons benefit the body and you can push a bit harder (the joints are warm), engage in physical challenges and increase respiratory, cardiovascular and whole body tone.
Enjoy exercise, strengthen, increase range of motion and flexibility and heal the joints (you’ll feel better in the next winter)
For those who have weight-loss goals, the warmer months give an advantage that the colder months do not.
Take care not to overheat: heatstroke, and dehydration can be dangerous.
Hydrate, open and cleanse body systems (the warmer months are when you cleanse, fast, or lighten intake (less so in mid winter)
Boost health and immunity (especially those who are prone to seasonal allergies/hay fever/allergic rhinitis). If you recalibrate neuro-endocrine-immune function now (w/ herbs, acupuncture, appropriate nutrient supplementation, stress reduction), you’ll enter the upcoming pollen season with the advantage.
Nourish your heart w/ social time, occasionally stay up a little later and have more sex (too much can be depleting however)
Balance and cool w/ cooling liquids and foods (greet tea, mint, lemon water, watermelon, cucumber etc
Respond to cravings for lighter, cooling and nutrient dense foods
Some spice is good to open the pores and benefits the heart and cardiovascular system / too much hot spice though can be detrimental to those w/ acid reflux
Use only natural products, and plants such as aloe vera for sunburn as chemical products contain ingredients that are known to impact the endocrine system
Avoid too much time in the air conditioning, enjoy the heat, allow it to open your body.
Relax and enjoy, daydream, vision, set new goals and write them down, plan
Conscious engagement in your health with optimal self care, positive projection through choices and goal setting, exploring new opportunities, plans, is a pathway to success. The creative power of this perspective when backed by supportive actions can be an antidote to depressive, anxiety prone downward spirals that underwrite patterns of poor health.
Just like with molecular activity (rapid when heated, slower when cool), the principal nature of summer’s heat and action is a time for bigger shifts that can re-set the tone of the future.
