Your Home and Lifestyle

If you are anything like me, your otherwise healthy appetite is unfairly tempted in summer by soft serve, refreshing sugary beverages, and salty party snacks. Increased temperatures surely encourage these cool culinary desires; the same scorching climate can zap energy needed to burn off the calories from sweet indulgences, and the combination makes for an unhealthy poolside waistline.

When enjoying all the pleasures of summer, consider amending some of your traditional food and exercise habits to maintain a healthy and sleek physique—at least until the holiday season arrives.

Sweets

Ice cream puts a cooling cap on a sweltering day, but there are plenty of dessert alternatives. Bring back an old summer favorite that you’re sure to enjoy at any age: the homemade Popsicle. Fill the forms with a simple juice and try to stay occupied while you wait for it to freeze to perfection. Do the same with low-fat yogurt, and add some texture and nutrients to the yogurt or juice base with chunks of fresh fruit.

Fruit is undoubtedly summer’s greatest gastronomic gift. Available fresh across the United States this time of year, melons, berries, and pineapple are a natural dessert that deliciously replaces processed treats. Water-filled fruits such as watermelon and grapes help fill you up and keep you hydrated. The water content in grapes makes them ideal for freezing. Simply rinse and pop them in the freezer overnight (on or off the stem). In the morning, these bite-sized fruit snacks will be ready for consumption—and so tasty they will likely disappear by lunch.

Beverages

It’s important to stay hydrated in the summer, and it should come as no surprise that water is the most recommended beverage to quench your body’s thirst. Water is the key to staying healthy no matter which time of year it is. The cool and refreshing drink is also the first line of defense against excess snacking. Looking for a late-night snack to cool you down and fill you up? You’re likely a little dehydrated, and a glass or two of water should do the trick.

Thirst induced by sweltering summer evenings is sometimes only satisfied by something with more character than water. If you desire an adult beverage, avoid blended concoctions. Stick to simple drinks like chilled white wine, a lime-wedged gin and tonic, or a light beer. For more nutritional content, fresh-fruit smoothies made sans ice cream are a healthy option.

Some people’s stumbling blocks to healthy living are the mashed potatoes, buttery rolls, and sugar cookies that are paired with the holiday season. Others are no longer driven to exercise in the cold, dark winter months—when a warm blanket and tea are more appealing than a treadmill. • My food and workout kryptonite is summer. Sweet, sweet, summer, which nine months out of the year dances through my dreams as a shimmering fantasy land where the sunshine is endless and responsibilities take a back seat to adventure. When the summer solstice dawns, I awaken from my adolescent dream and realize that this season carries one quite unfortunate flaw: the propensity for weight gain.

Food

With casual and celebratory barbeques to attend, it can be difficult to consistently refuse the fatty foods. Hot dogs, hamburgers, potato salad, ribs, and potato chips are standard fare, so consider bringing dishes that won’t weigh you down. Instead of traditional potato salad, make one with red potatoes and olive oil. In lieu of baked beans, have a fresh bean salad. Most importantly, avoid heavy, greasy options and gravitate toward protein that will keep you energized.

Exercise

Although a walk is more appealing than a treadmill for most, the heat often creates a coma-like sluggishness that can make it difficult to be outside. If you keep your body hydrated and fueled with energizing fruits, vegetables, and protein, you should be ready to experience the season with outdoor exercise.

Early-morning or evening walks, when the heat is either waxing or waning, can be sublimely refreshing. Whether you reside in the city, the suburbs, or the country, summertime affords you the opportunity to experience and observe all that your neighborhood has to offer.

If you are a fair-weather adventurer and have a nature area nearby, hiking is an exciting option. When you explore the mountains and hills, forge ahead prepped with sunscreen and plenty of water. Be sure to take care of yourself in the sun. If the weather is warning your body to stop, listen to avoid a heat-related injury.

Swimming, no matter the style, is practically the official sport of the season. Whether pool, ocean, lake, or river, swimming is a fantastic full-body aerobic activity that will help thwart off any bloat and still allow you to soak in the summer rays.

It’s tempting to recline by the pool and nosh late into the evening with the lax summer schedule and accessible weather. To take advantage of all the season has to offer, prevent feeling sluggish and bloated by being mindful of your hot-weather habits. Have a super-powered summer and don’t fall trap to someone else’s kryptonite. Written by Maresa Giovannini.