Happy Summer!!! We hope everyone is enjoying their summer and trying to stay cool. Summer is a great time for spending time with family, and enjoying some needed rest and relaxation. It is also a great time to prioritize yourself and your health.

Here are my best tips for staying healthy this summer.

#1 Stay hydrated. It has been VERY hot this summer. Water is essential for many systems in our body and it can be easy to get dehydrated, especially if you are sweating outside. Make sure you are getting your 6-8 8oz of water per day. If you don’t like water – try adding a squeeze of lemon to help flavor it.

#2 Stay cool. Did I mention how hot is has been?! If you are going to be enjoying the outdoors, try to go in the early morning or evening when the temperatures are not as high. Utilize portable fans when outdoors or cool rags. The last thing you need is to overheat and end up in the hospital.

#3 Exercise regularly. If your outdoor activity isn’t an option, find something new to try. This could be a fun exercise class with friends, an online program to do at home, or try some aquatic exercise.

#4 Take time for yourself. We tend to get busy an put others before ourselves. Make sure you are taking time daily to do something YOU enjoy. This could be as simple as reading a chapter in your favorite book, working on a puzzle, or going for a bike ride. It is amazing how just 10-15 minutes of prioritizing yourself can really help with stress management.

#5 Catch up on your appointments. Our summer schedules may be a little more flexible than the rest of the year. Take advantage of this time to make those appointments you have been putting off before the craziness of the fall and holidays approach. This may include annual appointment like seeing your primary care doctor or dentist.

It could also be a great time to get that pain checked out. You know the one. The one that you were hoping would go away by now. The one that you don’t know if you should get checked out or just keep hoping tomorrow will be the day it finally goes away.

If it has been going on for more than a week or two – don’t suffer any longer. Give us a call to see how we can help. It is a lot easier to fix a problem sooner before it because a bigger problem in the future.