How To Keep Up With Your Summer Workout Routine in the Summer?

Summer presents plenty of opportunities to keep active as we make the most of longer brighter days and better weather (hopefully!) At the same time, we understand that summer also brings with it time off work and breaks from our usual routine, day trips or holidays away from home and more socialising with others. These may make it trickier to stick to exercise routines we would normally have. Our Lead Dietitian, Lydia Worsley, has some advice..

Remember exercise is a great way of releasing feel-good endorphins and providing a boost mentally, as well as helping keep our physical health in check, so it’s important to keep some form of movement going.

Here are Lydia’s top tips to keep up activity levels whilst having fun and embracing all that summertime has to offer!

• Exercise and moving outside is always more enjoyable! Relish the chance to savour bright mornings and evenings during these months (they don’t last long!) If your days are busy, try a walk, jog or cycle in the fresh air first thing in the morning or later in the evening when it is light still. Maybe you could even bring that yoga mat into the garden or onto the balcony for your morning stretch for a change. Morning and evening are also good times for exercise to avoid the hottest time of day if the weather is particularly warm.
• Try a new activity! Perhaps while away (or even closer to home), go swimming either in a pool, lido, lake or the sea. Swimming is great exercise for all the muscles of the body. Or you might want to try something more adventurous on the water like paddleboarding, rowing, windsurfing, kayaking or water skiing. This can be a great time to try these sports you might refrain from in the cold winter months
• Buddy up with a friend or family member. Keeping active can be a great way to stay connected with friends and family! Perhaps you could try a new sport together like tennis or a water sport. Even agreeing to a regular walk or jog at a local park or during a holiday away is a super way to commit to staying active.
• Really boost the enjoyment factor as much as you can so you look forward to activity. Try making a playlist of your favourite energising summer tunes to get you smiling as you move. Wear brightly coloured workout gear that you love and makes you feel comfortable like shorts, trainers and a vest-top/t-shirt. Be mindful of your surroundings and exercise in a space that you enjoy such as a garden, park, natural countryside or even a beach!
• Walk whenever and wherever possible. Hopefully fewer rainy, cold, dark days mean more opportunity to get the trainers on and use our own legs to get from A to B instead of public transport or a car. Walking is a brilliant form of low impact exercise that has many benefits, from improving mental wellbeing to better cardiovascular health.
• Plan ahead to make it easier to keep to your summer workout routine. Pop a note in a calendar or diary as a way of committing to yourself. You might want to get your workout gear ready by the front door the night before so you are ready to head out in the morning. Or have your swimming kit packed for that early swim the next day. And don’t forget to keep a bottle of water handy for warmer-weather exercise to keep you hydrated.We hope these top tips inspire to get moving, whilst having fun this Summer!Written by Lydia Worsley, Lead Dietitian at The Parker Practice