Beat the Heat - 13 Healthy & Energetic Summer Tips
In the hot seasons, excessive heat put
our body under huge strain causing exhaustion, irritability, sleeping problem,
lack of concentration, digestion problems and skin problems along with
dehydration. Follow these tips to make your summer more enjoyable and
comfortable.
1. Stay cool and hydrated
During hot seasons heat and sweat can
leave our body dehydrated. The best way to avoid dehydration is drinking plenty
of water. It is very significant to keep yourself hydrated by drinking at least
8-9 glasses of water a day. You can also try some liquids, such as lemon juice,
tender coconut water, kokum (mangosteen fruit) juice, lassi (buttermilk), kairi
panhe etc. Always carry water with you.
2. Avoid sun exposure
Avoid direct sun exposure between
10 am and 4 pm, as sun’s ultraviolet rays are at their peak and can harm your
body and skin. Apply a sunscreen lotion with SPF 15-30 on exposed skin, 30
minutes before you step out; reapply the sunscreen lotion every 4-5 hours.
Apply natural sunscreen lotion on your skin. When you are outdoors, protect
yourself from overexposure to direct sunlight by wearing full cotton clothes,
hat and quality sunglasses.
3. Avoid fried food
Avoid consumption of oily, fried and fat
loaded food. Too much eating of fat, oily and fried food leads to exhaustion,
because it slows down the digestive process and causes acidity, indigestion,
food poisoning and intoxication in body. It also affects our skin and leads to
acne, pimples, dark under eye circles and unhealthy dull skin.
4. Drink green tea
Green tea has several natural boosting
properties that help speed up our metabolism. Do not use sugar in the tea, use
honey instead. Add fresh ginger paste or basil paste or mint leaves in the tea.
Consume cup of green tea once or twice a day. Being a diuretic, too much
consumption of coffee and tea can cause increased urination; this leads to
dehydration and dryness of the skin.
5. Skip tight-fitting clothes
Tight and skin fit clothes increase
sweating and cause uneasiness and skin problems. Wear loose, light-colored and
full-sleeved cotton clothes to protect your body from the sun and to avoid
evaporation of sweat.
6. Best summer food
Increase the consumption of yogurt,
onions, whole grains, fruit and vegetable salad as it increases insulin
sensitivity of body and this gives you lots of energy throughout the hot days.
Eat fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables. Add sprouted beans, dry fruits, nuts,
soy products, seeds and fish in your diet.
Eat fresh fruits such as watermelon,
strawberries, pineapple, cherries, apricot, berries etc or crunchy veggies such
as cabbage, bell peppers, cucumbers, broccoli, carrots etc.
7. Eat light, small and frequent meals
Divide your food in small proportion;
take 5-6 small meals throughout the day. Do not overload yourself with heavy
meal at the time, it will lead to digestion problems and in the hot days, our
digestive system is more targeted. Have small meals with intervals of 2-3
hours, eat light and stay healthy.
8. Don’t skip breakfast
When we wake up in the morning, our body
is exhausted. Eating a breakfast with protein, vitamins and crabs improves our
metabolism into high gear and supplies energy. Add peaches, melons, plums and
pears in your breakfast in the form of salad or juice. Eat more citrus fruits
and juice for regular supply of vitamin C.
9. Avoid these foods
Avoid sodas, frozen cocktails, sugar
loaded drinks and beer. Say no to fast foods
such as burgers, oily snacks and French fries, these foods are hard to digest
and take long time to digest; it also produces heat and increases the chances
of food poisoning in hot days.
10. Avoid cigarettes and alcohol
Try to avoid smoking and consumption of
alcohol during the hot days; do not consume carbonated and fizzy drinks.
11. Avoid milk
Decrease the consumption
of dairy products like milk, as it is acidic in nature and produces heat in the
body. Instead of milk eat curd.
12. Maintain good hygiene
Take a cold shower twice a day during
summer to get rid of skin rashes, sweat, body odor and heat rashes. Use prickly
heat powder regularly.
13. Eat seafood
Eat fresh seafood such as grill salmon,
lobster, tuna, calamari, steamer clams etc. This food contains low calorie, and
rich in proteins.
So follow all these tips, stay relax and
enjoy the summer.
