Many people regard summer as the most fun and liberating of all seasons. Even in metaphor, summer is regarded as a time of abundance and joy. Longer vacations, festivals, and outdoor get-togethers are more common. People want to look and feel their best for summer – one might think it’s almost expected.  It can be a source of stress for some as they wonder if they can be ready for summer.

It’s roughly one month before the Summer Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. That day is the longest day of the year with more sunlight than any other.  Often people don’t realize that our days are just as long now as they will be in July – since that’ll be a month after the solstice.

This brings to mind two things:

1. Summer is rapidly approaching
2. It might as well be summer now

Since summer is a time when many people wear fewer clothes and likely show more skin, there is a greater desire to be in better shape. To this, I’d like to mention a few things.

• Accepting oneself as we are is a huge step to greater health and is more important than a trim waistline. It will actually help that waistline goal (more on this later).
• It would be a better approach to stay in shape all year round and not make looking fantastic in a bathing suit the driving force behind healthy living.
• Feeling better is far more liberating than looking better. Most people who feel good aren’t overly concerned about how they look. On the other hand, many people who look good aren’t feeling so great – which, not uncommonly, might have to do with how they are achieving the looking better part.
• There are more significant measures of a human being than their appearance.
• Acknowledging the above point, it is still a real (if not primary) desire of most people to look good.

Phew… now that I got through those points, I hope that you can see that I’m not going to hold ‘good abs’ on a pedestal.

What it means to be ready for summer will differ depending on who you ask.  Many will quickly think about how their body will look.

I think what is less obvious, and more important, is how much energy you will have. Energy that could really change the level of enjoyment you have and how much quality ‘living’ you could do this summer!

In fact, having more energy has great value well beyond the summer.  Wouldn’t it be great to have more energy all year round?

I’m talking about real energy, not “frantic-running-on-a-treadmill-I’m-so-busy” energy. That kind of energy leads to burn out and deep fatigue.

I’m talking about a nourishing energy that has you jumping out of bed in the morning, not needing a coffee and excited to engage the world in mind, body and spirit.

This energy comes from within. When things are aligned you generate this energy yourself. You don’t need to search for it.  This energy is the feeling of endless summer.

Why is summer associated with this kind of energy?

I believe understanding this is a big clue to how we can achieve this kind of energy.

If you want to be ready for summer, then capture the way of life that summer lends itself to – starting now.

Usually, at the end of summer most people feel, and even look, better. So, summer produces the desired result itself (if only we could get that result at the start  😉 )

To be ready for summer tomorrow, start being better at generating energy yourself today.

I’ve covered many ways to gain more energy through nutrition in various articles like The Perfect Diet, Eating Dogma, and for specific recipes that are crafted with our maxim, “choose with energy in mind” check out anything in Breez Kitchen.

I also wrote about a Movement Diet and an Inspiration Diet which both support greater energy through a way of life that adds in quality movement and inspiration, in a variety of senses.

These all work best when practiced together – you get greater value in synergy. 

I’m continuing my use of diet, as meaning a way of life, into another area that can greatly impact energy and help you be ready for summer.

A Nature Diet: To Be Ready For Summer

As I mentioned above, I think summer livin’ gives us more energy and if we want to get that result, we would do well to start livin’ that way (any time of year) by adding in…

More sunlight –

Recent studies have shown that humans might actually be using photosynthesis like plants to produce energy. At the very least, we know that sunlight is the best source of vitamin D and has many benefits that go beyond just this nutrient.  I covered a lot of these in Natural Light Guides Your Health, so I won’t repeat them here.

Intuitively, we all know spending more time in the sunlight as opposed to artificial light is more energizing. If you want to have less energy (weird idea), then try staying inside with dim lights and the blinds closed.

Don’t wait until the nicest days of the year. Make getting out in the daylight a year-round affair. You might have to dress differently but taking the extra effort to get out in the winter can go a long way to avoiding SAD (seasonal affective disorder).

More time outside –

Apart from the added sunlight, added fresh air, varying temperature exposures and the positive effects of being close to plants, soil, bodies of water, hearing natural sounds as well as looking further in the distance, all benefit our health.

Even if you live in the middle of a big city, there are benefits to being outside too.

We spend a disproportionate amount of our days in sterile environments with climate control while hearing the beeps and pings from our gadgets and gazing a foot in front of us at a blue light emitting screen. Part of the reason we are SO ready for summer to arrive when it does is because we crave a change from this.

Dr. Qing Li, a senior assistant professor at Nippon Medical School in Tokyo, has studied the science behind ‘Shinrin-yoku’, or ‘forest bathing’, and uncovered many benefits from being outside amongst the trees. Even without the full commitment of getting into a forest, you can still get plenty the scientifically-proven benefits, such as:

• Boosting the immune system, with a rise in the body’s Natural Killer (NK) cells – crucial for disease prevention
• Lowering blood pressure
• Stress reduction
• Mood improvement
• Greater ability to focus – even as seen in children with ADHD
• Quicker recovery from surgery or illness
• Better sleep

The result of all this, more energy and good livin’!

Note: Don’t wait until summer.

Although it doesn’t substitute for the real thing, here’s a virtual taste of “taking in the forest atmosphere” courtesy of shinrin-yoku.org. Rx: Play as often as needed and hopefully be inspired to get the real deal.

An added bonus to spending time outside and going on a good nature diet is our appreciation for the natural world increases which leads to better environmental practices. There couldn’t be a better time in history for us all to increase our care of the environment, for future generations and the planet as a whole.

More play and leisure outside – 

I covered this to some degree in a Movement Diet and in Recapture Wild Health so I’ll just add a little more here. In the summer, we are more likely to engage in spontaneous fun or relax outside. There is something very freeing and de-stressing in this.

It is also a great way to enhance bonds with other people. Away from many distractions, you can mutually benefit from all the points laid out above while spending quality time together. A nature diet including play and leisure is a great way to improve relationships and forge wonderful memories.

You might feel like this can’t be done in the winter or isn’t as worthwhile. I believe it can be done, perhaps not as easily, but is probably even more worthwhile than when it’s summertime. In fact, people who enjoy winter the most are those who tend to spend the most time outside playing and enjoying the nature of the season.

If you want to be ready for summer, by being in shape, having more energy or just feeling good about life, add a nature diet into your way of life all year round.