The last full month of summer

Hello everyone.

It's almost the bestestestest, this is totally a word, time of the year. Just a few more short weeks until Autumn arrives. I don't know about you, but I am ready for summer to be gone. However, we still have a few more weeks of heat and summer and all that it brings.

Fitness

As summer comes to a close, the weather remains hot and the days remain long. Why not combine your fitness with cooling off. Swimming is fantastic exercise. It's a full body exercise that helps you torch calories without noticing that you're sweating, a huge win when its sweltering out. Its also low impact, gently supports your body, and has been shown to increase relaxation and mental health.

I find simply slipping

into a wave pool at the local water park and bracing my body to hold it in a single position while the waves crash over me to be quite the workout.

You don't even need to actually "swim". Simply getting in the water and goofing off with your friends is a great workout!

Head into a pool, lake, ocean, or any other body of water and cool off and get stronger!

Nutrition

There are so many fresh fruit and vegetable options in August. It's hard to simply focus in on one great choice. I know I've already mentioned that it is the perfect time of year to go to the local produce department and see what's out there, but really, do it.

I love grabbing fresh local squash, slicing it up, tossing a bit of olive oil and grill seasoning on it, and grilling it up. I can eat it all in a sitting.

This time of year is also perfect for snacky types of meals. Grab some cheese, slice it up. Grab your favorite nut butter and slice up an apple. It's a great meal that you can take with you to the park, or the beach, or the lake, or wherever!

I also really enjoy making pasta salads this time of year. Grab some whole grain, high protein pasta and cook it up al dente. Drain it. Toss it with a bit of red wine vinegar, olive oil, and Italian seasoning. You can also use your favorite Italian/Balsamic dressing. Mix in diced cucumber, onions, kalamata olives, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach and some feta cheese. I also throw in garbanzo beans. Of course you can always customize it to your favorite tastes. Super bright and refreshing on a hot summer day!

Mind Body Connection

This time of year is a time of major change for a lot of people. You'll feel more emotionally drained, more stuck in one place. The goal of the ending of summer is to look inward and decide what you need to let go of.

A yin yoga practice is great for this time of year since Yin is a cooling practice that is slow, usually low to the ground, and allows you to look inward. Find a darkened place, roll out your mat, grab some yoga blocks, or pillows, and really focus inward. Remember, in yin, you are looking to hold each pose for at lease 3 minutes, or up to 9 minutes. I have a yin session available under podcasts if you would like to check it out.

Thank you all, for continuing this journey with me. This summer is still yours for the taking.

Love to you all,

Kris