Tips for a Healthy Summer Vacation!

Summer months are the most wonderful time of the year to shake off the fatigue and stress of the whole year and enjoy quality time with your friends and family on vacation! While making your vacation plans that make these times fun and exciting, you can protect your health without sacrificing your social life. How? Here are amazing tips to help you maintain your health and weight even while on vacation!  

1. Include summer fruits in your diet!

The colorful varieties of fruit that adorn the market stalls in summer have both a very high water content and a high antioxidant capacity. It is the different antioxidant compounds they contain that give fruits their different colors. So how do antioxidants affect our bodies? Antioxidants help eliminate free radicals and toxins in our bodies, helping to reduce the stress our bodies are exposed to. Moreover, thanks to vitamin C — an important antioxidant — collagen production in the body is supported, helping to fight skin wrinkles. When you make regular fruit consumption a habit, you will also notice that your digestive system becomes more regulated. However, keep in mind that fruits also have a certain calorie count and can cause weight gain if consumed in excess! You can enjoy summer fruits as snacks between meals, as long as you don't exceed 5–6 servings per day.  

2. Use the power of green on your plate!

By including summer vegetables on your plate, you can protect both your weight and your health! Don't forget to incorporate plenty of vegetables — which are high in vitamins and minerals — into your daily diet. You can prepare vegetables as cooked dishes, consume them raw in salads, or prefer them boiled or grilled. By including vegetables — which are very low in calories yet high in fiber — in your menu, you will notice how much your digestive troubles decrease during vacation.

3. Don't take in extra calories while trying to cool down!

Although high-calorie carbonated and sugary drinks are more commonly preferred to cool down in summer, consuming these beverages is not good for your body! In addition to the extra calories, these drinks are also high in sugar, which can cause sudden fluctuations in your blood sugar and may lead to problems such as fatigue and weakness. Instead of these drinks, you can easily make healthy and delicious iced smoothies at home — and if you like, you can freeze your smoothies to turn them into ice cream — or you can prepare cold shakes with homemade fruit, milk, or yogurt.  

4. Increase your outdoor exercise!

For a healthy lifestyle, don't neglect exercising even while on vacation. If you can swim, you can focus on swimming during the day, or you can try outdoor activities such as nature hikes and beach walks. If you haven't made your vacation plan yet, you can do a bit more research to find places where you can swim, do water sports, go on nature hikes, or ride a bike — so you can avoid being sedentary during your summer vacation.  

5. A stress-free vacation!

When we think of summer, the first thing that comes to mind is what kind of itinerary we should plan for vacation. While planning your trip, pay attention to what brings you the most joy and which activities you enjoy the most. By spending a stress-free vacation, you can rest both your body and mind, and gather more energy for the rest of the year.