10 Top Tips for Healthy Habits in Summer Heat

In this article: 

• Summer heat can leave you feeling tired and lethargic, but you can maintain healthy habits. 
• Stay hydrated, active, and comfortable to stay on track this summer.
• Cool meals like salads and grain bowls, as well as seasonal produce like zucchini, tomatoes, and cucumbers, can nourish and energize you.
• Modify workouts to stay safe and active. Consider air-conditioned spaces like malls, gyms, and your home. Pool workouts can also be a good option.
• Take advantage of summer opportunities like outdoor concerts, nature walks, and farmers’ markets. 
• Your Lark coach is available 24/7 to help you make healthy choices around nutrition, activity, and more.

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It’s easy to let summer heat zap your energy or trigger unhealthy eating, but you can take smart steps to keep on track with your healthy intentions. Plan ahead so you can stay energized and healthy all summer. Here are 10 tips for eating right, staying safe while active, and making other healthy choices all summer.

1. Keep a routine

Summertime can lead to changes in schedule if you’re on vacation, children are out of school, or you have work-from-home or other changes in your work schedule. Whatever the situation, help your body out by establishing a schedule, even if it’s different from your schedule the rest of the year. A routine makes it easier to plan and prepare healthy meals, be active, get enough sleep, and feel better.

2. Hydrate

You need more fluids in hot weather. Even mild dehydration can make you feel tired and sluggish and lead to cramping and confusion. Drink lots of hydrating fluids throughout the day. Plain, iced, sparkling, or infused with fruit or herbs, water is a healthy, calorie-free choice. Black coffee and unsweetened tea are other good choices as long as you keep caffeine to safe levels. 

3. Look for water-rich foods

Water-rich foods are naturally hydrating and refreshing. Summer favorites include cucumbers, watermelon, and tomatoes. Try them plain or in recipes like watermelon salad with feta and mint. Most raw non-starchy vegetables have at least 80-95% water content, so feel free to eat plenty of greens-based salads with seasonal produce like zucchini and bell peppers. Soups like gazpacho are also high in water and nutrients.

4. Enjoy frozen fruit

Frozen fruit can provide a sweet, cold treat without the calories and sugar of ice cream and sugar-sweetened ice pops. Grapes, banana slices, blueberries, strawberries, mango chunks, peach slices, pineapple, and cantaloupe balls are all delicious choices. Freeze your own fruit or choose unsweetened frozen options. For creamier choices, blend frozen fruit with Greek yogurt or ripe banana. Add cinnamon or cocoa for flavor.

5. Grill lean proteins and high-fiber sides

What you put on the grill can make or break your summer meal plan. Hot dogs, sausages, ground beef, and ribeye steaks can add hundreds of calories and more grams of saturated fat than are healthy.

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Here are some protein options with fewer calories and less saturated fat.

• Salmon and other types of fish
• Shrimp
• Skinless chicken legs or breast
• Lean ground turkey
• Veggie burgers
• Meatless hot dogs and sausages

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Bring enough to share with others! 

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Put some healthy sides on the grill, too. Summer vegetables, such as eggplant, bell peppers, and zucchini, are rich in fiber and antioxidants. Lightly spiced or plain corn on the cob is a healthy choice compared to sides like mayo-laden potato salad and sugar-sweetened baked beans. 

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You can even grill fruit like peaches, watermelon, and pineapple to eat as healthy desserts instead of sugar-sweetened pies and cookies. 

6. Appreciate light meals

To fill up without feeling weighed down, try lighter meals with summer ingredients. Eggplants, zucchini, bell peppers, tomatoes, and cucumbers are at their best, and you can serve proteins over greens for filling meals without much cooking. 

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Here are some ideas.

• Bowls with pre-cooked beans or whole grains, protein, and vegetables
• Wraps with light tuna salad and a side salad
• Roasted vegetable salad with a veggie burger
• Vegetable whole-grain pasta salad 
• Cold soup like gazpacho
• Veggie burger patty on a whole-grain bun 
• Soy hot dog with a cob of corn and roasted vegetables

7. Stay active and cool

Summer heat can get in the way of your usual workout routine if it involves outdoor activities, especially if you’re used to working out in the heat of the day. It’s important to stay active for physical and mental health, though.

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Here are some ways to stay cooler and active.

• Walk in air-conditioned shopping malls. Many malls open their doors before stores open so that people can walk in them. If you’re not a morning exerciser, you can walk in malls later in the day while stores are open. 
• Exercise early in the day when temperatures are coolest. 
• Try lap swimming or classes like water aerobics, water dancing, or resistance training in the water. Water can keep you cool
• Work out in an air-conditioned gym or turn on the a/c at home. Set up fans wherever you can

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Listen to your body and be prepared to lower the intensity and modify your workout to avoid the risk of heat-related issues. Drink plenty of water.

8. Sleep well

Warm nights can make sleeping difficult, so it’s even more important to watch your sleep hygiene. Eat a light dinner, pay closer attention to your bedtime routine, and stick to a consistent sleep schedule. The A/C or a fan can help keep you comfortable overnight. Here are more tips for getting a better night’s sleep.

9. Relax

Tempers can be shorter in hot weather, so be mindful. Take extra care to breathe, count to 5 or 10, and think before you react. Maintain or add to your stress management techniques, whether they include deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, meditation, or taking time for a favorite hobby. 

10. Take advantage!

Think of summer as a season of opportunity, not a burden! Here are some things that may be available during summer that you can’t do at other times of the year.

• Farmers’ markets
• Swimming
• Rent pedal boats at local parks or lakes
• Go on certain hikes
• Go kayaking or scuba diving
• Pick produce on farms
• Enjoy outdoor concerts and movies under the stars

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Or, just enjoy taking an early morning or late-night walk without putting on extra layers of clothing.

How Lark Can Help

In summer or winter, Lark can help you make small changes to improve heart health, lose weight, and manage or prevent chronic conditions. Your Lark coach is available 24/7 for encouragement, nutrition and physical activity coaching, and habit tracking. Lark can help you make healthy choices and establish habits that fit into your lifestyle so you can lose weight and keep it off with or without GLP-1 medications. 

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Click here to see if you may be eligible to join Lark today!

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