Prepare for Summer: 10 Ways to Prepare Your Mind, Body and Soul

Prepare for Summer: 10 Ways to Prepare Your Mind, Body and Soul - tips to come out of hibernation and spring into summer.

#1 A Mantra

The first and only rule for having a ‘beach body’ is to have a body and head to the beach. Let’s make this our mantra. Being beautiful is all about feeling beautiful, and we do not need to stick to unrealistic stereotypes.

#2 Begin to Unwind

The days are longer, happier and a little lazier. This laziness can be a good thing and at certain points, in the day we can indulge in it. A sense of tranquillity, balanced control and peacefulness can allow the mind to stop racing, calm down and focus. Whenever you feel overwhelmed, take the time to breathe deeply (sounds clichéd but it’s proven to work!).

#3 Keep Up Your Exercise Routine

When it comes to preparing the body for summer, there are two alternatives. One is simply maintaining your year-round exercise routine. The other is to use this routine as your basis and add something new for a bit of added variety.

#4 Something New

Good weather makes us feel more inspired, creative and daring. It’s a good idea to track your progress when starting a new activity or challenge, so you are encouraged as you start to reach your goals. Be it reaching a new personal best in running, or surprising ourselves by overcoming our fears and trying a new activity (like an Aerial Fusion, inversion-therapy Yoga swing!), this is a great way to stay motivated and focused.

#5 Tackle Insecurities

It’s the perfect time to include exercises and activities that can help us feel good about ourselves and a little less self-conscious when the time comes to put on a bathing suit. Focusing on what we consider ‘trouble areas’ can increase our sense of accomplishment and calm feelings of anxiety stemming from not addressing our problems head-on.

#6 Get the Tan

For some, the best thing about summer is the natural golden glow of skin and hair. But more important than getting our daily dose of Vitamin D or a healthy tan, is making sure we keep safe. Read our article on essentials to protect the skin and warning signs by Dr Thordis Berger. If you’d like to kick-start your days at the beach with a nice tan, remember that sunbeds and tanning machines are not a healthy option, but you can always opt for a spray tan, done professionally in a salon or at home. If you are trying it at home, remember that dryer areas of our skin (knees and elbows for instance) will absorb more product and are at higher risk of turning orange. Moisturize well before you apply the tanning product to reduce this effect. Remember to wash your hands thoroughly afterwards.

#7 Summer Beauty

Skin and hair get a lot of abuse during the summer months – they have a tendency to dry out and become course from sun exposure and salt water damage. Indulge in your own DIY Spa for hair and skin and have fun creating amazing products from the natural products in your pantry. (link to ebook beauty or link to article summer beauty treatments)

#8 Summer Diet

During warmer days, our need to stay hydrated naturally increases. Drinking plenty of water is important, so make hydration more delicious with flavoured water that you can create yourself at home (link to flavoured water article). There are plenty of foods with a high water content that can be easily included in our diet. From watermelon to cucumber, fresh and delicious seasonal produce offers us countless benefits.

#9 Make Changes

When seasons change so should we. It’s the perfect time to adapt not only what we wear, but also our surroundings and the areas we spend most of our time in. Mark a day in your diary to create a wardrobe inventory, giving away what is just taking up space and hasn’t been used in the past year; this is a good rule of thumb to decide what should stay and what should go. Create a mental image of what you want to achieve, envisage the perfect end result, and if the object doesn’t fit the vision, then it’s time to give it away.

#10 Live in the Present – and Relive It

Summertime usually means vacations. We spend all year craving a little extra time to spend with our loved ones. Don’t just photograph and ‘selfie’ your way through summer this year. Get a box for all your memories and save the amazing moments you’ll want to remember later. You can bring home a shell you got at the beach, a movie ticket stump or even the cork from a great bottle of wine you shared with friends. It can all go right into your box of memories and precious moments.

Time to enjoy to the fullest. Here is an amazing raw ice cream recipe to indulge and make your summer even more delicious.