Seven Smart Ways to Stay in Tiptop Health All Summer

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Restless nights and disrupted sleep are very common when we are under stress and have too much on our minds. Researchers say that vacations can help interrupt the habits that disrupt sleep — working late into the night, for example. If you have stress from work and your sleep is disrupted because of anxiety or tension, take some time off!

Related: Second-Degree Burns from the Sun: A Reality?

In addition, taking vacations has multiple health benefits, such as helping lower your blood pressure, heart rate, and stress hormones. It has also been demonstrated that taking vacations improves your productivity at work. When you are more productive you are happier, and if you are happier, your performance improves.

6.) Don’t forget breakfast. All too often we forget to eat breakfast in the morning before heading outside — not knowing that without proper nutrition first thing in the morning, our bodies get weaker in the summer sun. We’re then prone to heat overexposure, dehydration, or fainting.

It is important to have a breakfast high in protein, fruit or whole grains. Also, a healthy morning breakfast will boost your metabolism.

With the abundance of avocados and fresh berries during the summer, it would be a shame not to have a delicious and healthy breakfast before heading out into a hot summer day.

7.) Fresh foods work. Summer is the perfect time to cut out processed and junk foods, if you’re still eating them. During the summer, there are many fresh fruits and veggies available, so there is no reason not to substitute processed food with delicious, fresh and healthy options.

Related: Six Summer Foods to Grow Yourself

On the other hand, if you want to stay healthy, instead of torturing yourself and trying to avoid burgers, pasta, pizza, and other fun summer foods, have far smaller portions.

That way you won’t be totally avoiding the carbs, chocolate, and alcohol — just consuming them smartly and in moderation.

Dr. Manny Alvarez serves as chairman of the department of obstetrics/gynecology and reproductive science at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey. His website is AskDrManny.com.  [lz_pagination]