Make the most out of summer with our essential summer tips

The summer season is often seen as the season of happiness when the kids are free from school, the sun is shining (sometimes) and holidays are on the horizon. It’s essential to look after your health throughout summer, know how to cope with a heatwave (if we have one), and be at your utmost healthiest.

Well, you may have just stumbled across this blog post by chance, but you are in luck as we have a range of top summer tips for you to enjoy from fitness tips to heatwave tips.

5 health and fitness summer tips

Stay hydrated – Keeping hydrated and drinking water is vital anyway, but when the sun is shining and the weather is warm, it’s even more important as we tend to sweat more and we are more prone to sunburn, heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Drinking plenty of water is vital and can help keep you healthy over summer and stop you from being dehydrated. You should aim to drink between 1.5 to 2 litres of fluid or around 8 glasses of water per day.

Look after your skin – Having radiant and glowing skin throughout summer is probably more of a dream, but in reality, our skin can easily become dehydrated, sunburnt and damaged over the summer months. It’s important to apply sunscreen and soothe skin that has become over-exposed to the sun with after sun or cooling gels, which can help prevent redness and your skin from peeling.

Reapply sun cream throughout the day too, it’s recommended that you should use a teaspoon for the face and approximately a shot glass for the body. Don't forget to protect your eyes too, make sure you wear sunglasses during the sunny weather as this can help prevent cataracts. Find out more about protecting your skin here!

Get out the salad – Salad is a refreshing summer food and can help keep you healthy and full of nutrients. Whether you are looking to eat healthier or just want something cold and refreshing, salad is the perfect option. Salads are easy to make, and you can combine your favourite ingredients, include marinated chicken, crunchy nuts, a sprinkle of seeds or add in some fruits and vegetables.

Check the weather – If you are going for a run, doing an outdoor workout or outdoor activity, check the weather. Although it may seem obvious, avoid working out during the hottest part of the day, which is between 11 am to 3 pm. An early morning workout is usually the best time to get your work out in and can set you up for a good day. It’s also important to wear light clothing which can help reflect heat and loose clothing can help evaporate your sweat.

Tailor your workout – It’s ok to pace yourself and slow your exercise routine down over summer. Your body will need time to adjust to warmer temperatures and may respond differently to the summer heat. If you do feel tired when working out, seek shade, drink plenty of fluid and rest until you feel better and have more energy.

6 quick top tips for staying cool in a heatwave

1. Keep your curtains closed and if the air is warmer outside than it is in then keep the windows shut too!
2. Remember that hot air rises so if it’s too warm upstairs then you might find yourself have a sleepover downstairs in the living room.
3. Keep a mist/spray bottle of water in the fridge and spray on your pulse points and face to cool you down (pulse points are: inner elbows, wrists, feet and ankles, behind your ears or knees).
4. Keep your after sun and moisturisers in the fridge to soothe your skin after sun exposure.
5. Place a bowl of ice-cold water in front of your fan to keep your room cooler.