Summer is just around the corner. What does it mean to you? Does it mean three months of overindulging on delicious foods and beverages? Potentially. But it doesn’t have to. Of course, it is lovely to socialise with friends and family and enjoy beautiful gourmet summer meals and bevvies on the deck – but it doesn’t mean that it has to be a complete write- off.

Here are my five tips for enjoying summer without increasing the waistline too much.

Explore the great outdoors

With the warmer, beautiful weather, it’s a great time to head outdoors and be active. Swimming at the beach, going for a bike ride around the neighbourhood, taking a stroll on the beach or having a game of backyard cricket… It doesn’t mean you have to strap yourself to a treadmill or do endless cardio sessions – get outdoors, get active, and do the things that you enjoy. When something is enjoyable, you often don’t class it as a ‘workout’ but rather an activity that changes your mindset around exercise to be a more positive experience.

Enjoy lighter summery meals

I don’t know about you, but I love and always crave comfort foods in winter.

The great thing about summer is that you often feel like lighter meals such as salads, fruit or delicious barbecues. It often means that we will be eating more would, which is great.

healthy – things like potato salad and oily meats can feel quite heavy on the tummy. Don’t skip these out altogether – just manage your portion sizes on the heavier foods and make sure to veggies throughout your day.

Plan active days day out can feel like a horrible daily summer is that often people have a if you know your friends and family are kicking around, try and arrange an activity that will get your heart rate up. It can be anything from a beach walk, bushwalk, bike ride, backyard games or whatever you enjoy doing with your friends and family.

Stay hydrated

As the weather warms, we get thirstier, which can be dangerous when we are lured towards the beers or wines (or whatever your tipple is). There is nothing wrong with a few beverages, but it’s important to stay hydrated (with good old-fashioned H2O) to keep everything balanced. Drinking plenty of water will make you feel more alert, less hungry and a bit less lethargic after drinking alcohol or having a long hot day in the sun.

Relax

As silly as it sounds, taking the time to relax is really difficult for some people. Our bodies need movement throughout the day but it is equally important to rest and recover and not constantly feel stressed. Of course, everyone relaxes different ways. It is important to find a way to relax that doesn’t elevate your heart rate too much, otherwise you are defeating the purpose.

You could grab a book and find a nice spot in the sun, try yoga or pilates, do a low-impact activity such as lawn bowls. Whatever you choose, just make sure you aren’t puffing, sweating or raising your heart rate too and relaxed.

Look to the futuret

Most of all, if you are lucky enough to have a break over the summer, please enjoy and cherish every moment. I know had planned, but it is important to appreciate the things you can do.

Sure, we may not be able to travel overseas or attend events on a large scale, but we need to enjoy what we can – our that we can do – let’s make the best of summer 2021.