Your summer energy plan

When the weather heats up, it’s the perfect time kickstart a healthier you

1.Put some sunshine on your plate

Summer brings a huge array of health-boosting fruit and veg, with a wide variety of colours. Each colour carries its own set of unique disease fighting chemicals called phytochemicals. These phytochemicals may help to fight disease, boost your energy levels and reduce your risk of ill health. [i]

If you’ve been comfort eating during the cold, then a supplement may help to kickstart your healthy eating habits. Ubiquinol – a naturally-occurring nutrient which is produced by the body and is an active form of the antioxidant Co-enzyme Q10 – may help improve your energy levels.[ii]

2.Beat the heat

When summer temperatures can reach the mid-30s by 10am, it’s a good idea to fit your exercise in earlier. Exercising straight after waking can help keep you motivated and stick to a regular workout plan, plus you’ll burn more fat than if you left your exercise till later. [iii] [iv] [v]

If the thought of going for a jog in the heat puts you off, then head to the water. Swimming, stand up paddle boarding, surfing or even walking through water are all great ways to increase your cardio, tone up and keep fit, whilst keeping your cool.[vi] [vii]

3.Take some time off

The end of the year brings its own stress: Christmas, school holidays, end of year projects. Make sure you take some time each day to move a little, breathe deeply and switch off from the never-ending to-do list. Even just five minutes of silence can help give you the boost you need to tick off those tasks.[viii]

[i] https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/fruit-and-vegetables

[ii]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3661336/

[iii]http://www.uky.edu/~njdewa2/gailliotetal07JPSP.pdf

[iv]http://www.uky.edu/~njdewa2/gailliotetal07JPSP.pdf

[v]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20837645

[vi] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5057214/

[vii] https://blogs.bmj.com/bjsm/2017/06/23/major-new-study-health-benefits-swimming-released/

[viii] https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jclp.20402