Countdown to Summer: Self Care Edition

8. Add a new recipe to your repertoire

If you have a sweet tooth, take a look at my healthy vegan gf dessert recipes! If it’s dinners that stump you most nights, I get a LOT of my inspiration from Half Baked Harvest’s seasonal recipe search option! Summer is peak season for tons of colorful, delicious plants so try to find a recipe that highlights these. My favorites are zucchini, heirloom tomatoes, cherries, peaches, and herbs like basil, dill and cilantro.

9. Jazz up your hydration

We all know how important it is to drink enough water throughout the day, and this is especially true in the hot summer months! Think of a new way to tempt yourself to keep drinking – maybe it’s adding a few slices of cucumber, lemon, lime, or mint. Maybe it means investing in a new water bottle or a cute ice cube tray. I’ve seen a lot of wellness girlies adding aloe vera to their morning hydration ritual. Tieghan Girard swears by hot water with lemon to keep on top of her water intake. Try to think outside the box!

10. Journal on how you want to feel in your body

Creating fitness goals based on how you want to feel on a day-to-day basis can lead to a more sustainable workout routine. Is the goal to be able to walk for an hour without feeling winded? Are you more satisfied after a sweaty cardio session or a long yoga flow? Do you crave feeling sore because it tells you your body is getting stronger? Or maybe your goal is to simply keep up with your nieces and nephews. Whatever the feeling is, get it down on paper and work backwards to figure out what to include in your routine in order to achieve that feeling.

11. Book a drop-in workout class at a new fitness studio

And add it to your summer fun calendar! Most studios offer first-timer specials and competitive drop-in rates if you’re just going for a single class. Even better, many studios offer a free weekly community class! I found a hot yoga studio with a wednesday night community yoga flow and reserved my spot immediately. It’s the perfect way to change up your routine, meet new people, and find new workouts you love.

12. Pick something to train for

For some people, having a road race, a solstice yoga flow, or a walk for a charitable cause marked down in the calendar is exactly the push we need to get out there and start training. If you can’t find anything nearby, consider a destination event that you can work into a weekend trip!

13. Pick up some high-quality sunscreen

Daily sunscreen application is such a simple way to protect yourself from skin cancer and prevent the signs of aging. Now is the time to restock your favorite sunscreen, or, if you haven’t already, to do your research on exactly what you’re looking for in your next sunscreen. There’s a lot of chatter about the few sunscreen ingredients that are generally recognized as safe versus a longer list of ingredients that could have toxic effects in excess. I look for products that use zinc oxide or “mineral” based sunscreens.

Get my favorite sunscreen here

14. Find a new air-dry hairstyle

NHaircare is the one aspect of physical health that I often put on the backburner. Your locks deserve the best treatment and products you can find, especially in the summer. Not only does blow-drying feel like a chore when it’s super hot outside, the extra heat is not doing your hair any favors! Play around with a few overnight hairstyles now so you’re confident, practiced and ready to look your best at all your summer outings.

15. Make a summer playlist

Now’s the time to curate your favorites from the Anthology – for me, it’s definitely The Bolter. Taylor Swift aside, there has been a huge upswing in new music this spring! Now’s the perfect time to curate your favorite tracks and blend them in with older favorites for the ultimate summer playlist.

16. Identify 3 relationships to pour into

The old saying says that you become the average of the five people you spend the most time with, so you owe it to yourself to be intentional about who you’re going to be around this summer!

17. Rearrange your space

There is something so therapeutic about rearranging furniture from time to time. The way we organize our space affects our mood and can even affect our behavior. For example, if you know you want to do yoga in the mornings, setting out a mat can really encourage you to engage in that habit more often. Pick a room, a shelf, or even just a drawer and start shuffling things around!

18. Put together 2 new outfits

This is a great way to simultaneously take inventory of what staple pieces you’re missing in your ideal summer wardrobe. Get creative and lay down two go-to outfits that make you feel super confident – you’ll be saving your future self so much time by having these picked out in advance! I like to go the extra mile by hanging the outfits together so that they’re “facing” me every time I look in my closet. 

19. Pick your signature summer scent

Have you ever stepped out of the shower after switching up products and just felt that much more put together? This is the cherry on top of your summer wardrobe. And there are dozens of ways to incorporate your chosen scent into your daily routine. Look beyond expensive perfumes and into lotions, sugar scrubs, even just a new moisturizing body wash can make or break that delicate balance of pheromones that you’re crafting.

20. Plan a weekend trip

Get something down in the books, even if it’s just a solo trip. Scratch that. Especially if it’s a solo trip. It is incredibly freeing to be totally in charge of your vacation agenda! Whether you’re traveling solo or with a friend or partner, give yourself something to look forward to. Half the fun is in the planning!

21. Pick a summer read

There are no rules here, but I personally subscribe to the idea that summer reads are for fiction, even if it feels cringey! Embrace the levity of the season and toss those personal development tomes aside for now. I’m currently loving The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.