That means fun in the sun, being outdoors as much as possible, traveling — and taking a break from the strict schedule that rules the rest of the year.
Not so fast!
Don’t let those “lazy days of summer” totally disrupt your healthy habits and regular workouts. You don’t want to start all over in the fall having lost all your progress!
Look, I get it. Winters and school years are long, and we hunker down to make our way through them. In a sense, it’s easy to follow your exercise routine when most weeks largely resemble the next.
Then summer finally hits and bam! You’re too busy living life to keep it up.
- The kids have ballgames.
- Your parents are coming to visit.
- It’s just so nice on the back porch!
But you can still do what you need to do, even if it means a slightly scaled down workout schedule or level of intensity.
For example, you probably know better than to blow off all healthy eating and exercise when you go away on a beach vacation, right?
If summer tempts as one long break from the cold and routine, then think of it as, say, a two-week vacation. You don’t blow off all your healthy eating and exercise when you go to the beach for two weeks, even if you don’t attack your workouts and diet with the same gusto.
Well, it’s a similar idea here, just spread out over time.
Enjoy the season. See friends and family. Yes, yes, yes. AND…
- Ride your bike for an hour if you miss a workout
- Throw a frisbee or baseball in the park
- Maintain your healthy diet and sleep schedules
- And if you just can’t help it, fine – take that nap in the shade and skip a fitness class
- It’s OK! Remember that healthy habits are all about maintaining consistency over time. If you’ve “been good” all year, then you can probably afford to tone it down a bit for a few weeks in summer.
Read that again: “A bit in summer” does not mean “blow it off for three solid months”!
Move with intention every day, follow your routine most of the time, and enjoy the fresh air.
By moderating that false promise of endless summer, you’ll be SO MUCH better off when the days get shorter!
