As temps heat up, here’s a summer wellness routine that’s sure to keep you grounded.
Summer brings beach trips, outdoor yoga, barbecue invites, and plenty of sunshine. But sometimes the fun is also accompanied by sunburn, dehydration, social exhaustion and even, summertime blues. (Yes, summertime sadness is a real thing.)
You can reap the benefits of moving your body, such as improved mood and mobility, during any season. But there are some special, summer habits you can add to your post-work routine as temps heat up and the days grow longer, to boost recovery from your workouts and improve your overall health.
Experts say sticking to a routine can help you improve your sleep, eat healthier and reduce stress. You can squeeze these women’s wellness tips into your week, to ensure you will be relaxed and energized for all of your favorite summer activities.
Habits for your summer wellness routine
Mind
Take a few minutes to breathe.
For many of us, life gets busier in the summer. To make sure we’re preserving our energy, it’s helpful to take a few minutes each day after work to slow down and “smell the roses” – otherwise known as engaging in mindfulness.
Meditation, a key mindfulness practice, has been around for thousands of years. Practicing meditation or breathwork can reduce your blood pressure, improve your mood, and increase your creativity. And in the summertime, it’s even better if you practice outside, as nature can have a powerful calming effect on our psyches. As part of our Wellness Essentials Program, we have guided breathwork and meditations you can add to your daily routine.
But mindfulness doesn’t have to stop and end there. You can also engage in mindfulness by savoring summer activities like gardening, walking, or cooking a meal made up of your favorite summer produce. It’s all about living in the moment.
Get strategic about social outings.
If you’ve hibernated all winter, and can’t wait to take advantage of summer to make social plans again, you’re not alone. There’s something liberating about sipping an aperol spritz in a sundress. Yet, introverted or not, everyone needs time to recharge. And women’s wellness comes with some caveats; If you’re a woman who menstruates, you may feel more or less social depending on where you are in their cycle.
You’re likely to feel more social around your follicular phase, which comes post-period. This energy peaks around ovulation, when you might feel your most social and ready for romance. In your luteal phase, which comes after ovulation, you might experience more mood swings and fatigue, which could make your cousin’s summer barbecue sound like a chore, rather than a fun outing.
If you are making summer plans, it could be helpful to schedule big social events during your follicular and ovulatory phases, to give yourself time to restore and conserve energy. You can also sync your workouts to these cycles, with the help of our cycle-syncing collections.
Body
Take care of your skin.
While the sun can be great for our moods, sun damage can get in the way of having a good time. No one wants to show up to a summer wedding with a painful burn from too much time spent on the beach. The most foolproof way to protect your skin this summer is to stick to the shade when possible, wear breathable clothes that offer skin coverage and apply (and reapply) SPF.
If you enjoy having a skincare routine at night, products containing retinol, vitamin C and niacinamide can help soothe and repair sun-damaged skin. But some of these products, like retinol, can also increase your sensitivity to the sun. While it’s okay to still use retinoids in the summer, make sure to apply plenty of SPF the next day. Some derms even recommend easing up on retinoids before beach days or summer vacations where you’ll expect a lot of sunshine.
Sleep smarter.
As the days get longer, it can be easy to stay out later and avoid bedtime. But sleep (at least 7 hours of it each night) is very important to preserve your social battery and recover from working out. In the summer, there are a few things you can do to preserve a consistent bedtime and get quality sleep.
For one, sticking with a consistent sleep routine, sans screens and other distractors, despite schedule changes, can help keep you on track. Additionally, as temps heat up, it’s time to pull out the lighter fabrics. Sleep in breathable pajamas and sheets to avoid uncomfortable night sweats. Experts have determined the ideal temperature for sleep is 60-67 degrees Fahrenheit, so turn up the air conditioning (or a fan if you don’t have AC). Lastly, your summer diet can impact your sleep in unexpected ways.
For instance, as alcohol can decrease your sleep quality, opting for a mocktail over a margarita at your summer happy hour post-work can make sure you’re able to snooze properly on a weeknight.
Make time for restorative movement.
Summer weather, especially the heat, can be tough on the body. Exercising in the heat can cause muscle fatigue, dehydration and other issues. That’s why it’s important to incorporate recovery practices into your summer routine to avoid injury or burnout.
Staying hydrated and building rest days into your routine can ensure you can feel like your best self amid the sunshine. Our Wellness Essentials Program includes a variety of restorative yoga practices you can try out. The practices are short enough to easily fit into your days. And on the other hand, sometimes, summer temps can actually be good for activities like yoga, because heat (within reason!) can increase your flexibility.
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