Summer is a natural time of expansion, growth, activity, light and creativity. From wild forest blooms to fresh farmer’s fields we see Mother Nature hard at work. To stay cool, we must be in harmony with the summer atmosphere. When we are out of natural rhythm in the summer it is easy to become over-heated with profuse sweating, sluggishness, fatigue and even heat exhaustion.
Stay in natural rhythm to beat the summer heat with these 10 tips!
- Wake early with the morning sun and get active! This is a perfect season for a morning yoga class, jog or gardening session
- Play, travel and be joyful
- Be sun-safe. After you have had healthy sun exposure (20 minutes or so depending on your skin pigment), cover up! You will keep cooler in some lighter linens and cottons. And remember to cover your head. We gain and loose heat in the body quickly through the top of our head.
- Try plenty of brightly colored foods. These are naturally joyful and full of fresh, summer antioxidant power!
- Cook lightly and add spice. The stomach is able to handle lighter cooked foods at this time of year. When sautéing food, cook on high for a short period of time. Steam foods lightly. Adding a bit of fiery spice will help to naturally disperse heat.
- Drink warm liquids and take warm showers to cool the body. It may seem practical to take a cold shower when you are hot but cold water shunts blood to the body’s core sending a message to the body to increase it’s internal temperature. A warmer shower will send a message to cool the body down.
- Avoid cold foods (yes…. nix the ice cream) on the hottest summer days as they cause the stomach to contract and weakens digestive power.
- Instead consume more cooling foods such as salads, sprouts, cucumbers, celery and fresh fruits. Teas such as chamomile and chamomile will also gently cool the body.
- Avoid heavy foods on hot days (meats, eggs, excess nuts, seeds and grains) as this will cause sluggishness
- Eating less in general can help us feel as light as the natural environment outside
Overheated?! Try Innate’s 5 Natural Remedies to cool down…
- Innate’s Summer Cooling Concoction. Drink 4-6 Cups throughout the day.
- Bitter foods can be very cooling. If you become over-heated try some classic bitters such as rapini, arugula, dandelion greens. Have these as a salads with some olive oil and lemon juice 2x per day.
- Canadian Bitters Tincture (alcohol extract of bitter herbs) taken throughout the day will aid digestion, lighten your mind and cool your body can also be helpful here. Easy to find at your local health food shop, a bitter tincture. Try ½ tsp 4x per day in water.
- Spicy foods promote sweating. So spice things up and sweat that heat out! Add a tsp of Cayenne to your daily juicing routine. Not into a juicing routine? Try the amazing ‘Wake-Up’ Juice from our local Greenhouse Juice Co. This includes Orange, Lemon, Grapefruit and Cayenne. A great way to sweat out the heat.
- Try a warm shower instead of a cold shower to send the right message to your internal thermometer.
