Summer Wellness Tips Blog
Summer Tips for Healthy Living
It’s finally summer time and there are many ways to take care of yourself during the warm weather season. Wellness isn’t just about your body, but also your mind and spirit. We asked members of our Wellness team for tips on how to keep our spirit, mind, and body healthy this summer.
MINDFULNESS
Jaime Shanks, Wellness Director at Botetourt Family YMCA spends much of her time focused on Mindfulness. Here’s what she has to say on this important way to stay healthy:
"Mindfulness is simply the state of being conscious or aware of something. It is not just a state of mind, but a way of life. Those that practice mindfulness, choose to live a life that way. By practicing mindfulness, we can learn to let go of negative and unhealthy thoughts and emotions and replace them with positive and encouraging ones, but it does take practice.
By learning to focus on positive emotions and attitudes your body experiences the physical benefits of mindfulness also. Cortisol, a hormone in the body that can cause weight gain when levels are too high, drops due to reduced stress levels. Our bodies get a boost in antibodies resulting in an improved immune system and our bodies get a break from constantly being in fight or flight mode, sleep improves, can reduce pain, and improves your daily concentration. Today, people are over-stressed all the time so we have to really put in the effort to decompress.
Here is one of my favorite mindfulness activities to try out each day of the week:
- Monday: Gratitude – Find things to be thankful for throughout your day, and include the in your loving-kindness meditation or a gratitude journal
- Tuesday: Compassion – Set an intention to decrease any chronic pain or suffering in yourself or others that you encounter throughout your day
- Wednesday: Acceptance – Accept yourself as you are and others as they are; appreciate yourself and other people without trying to change them
- Thursday: Meaning and Purpose – Think about your ultimate purpose in life, and where and how you find meaning
- Friday: Forgiveness – Forgive yourself first, then extend your forgiveness to others for any past transgressions
- Saturday: Celebration – Make sure to take a day to celebrate all the joy in your life and the lives of others
- Sunday: Reflection – Reflect on your week, your month, your year, or whatever period of time makes sense to you at the moment. This can be accomplished through the practice of meditation, prayer, or simple moment awareness
GROUP EXERCISE
In addition to caring for your mind and spirit, don’t forget to incorporate your body as well. One way the YMCA can help you stay in shape this summer is with group exercise classes. Salem Family Y’s Wellness Coordinator, Emma Todoroff, shared some of her expertise on Group Exercise classes.
"Summer is the perfect time to start group exercise or try a new class! Group exercise classes can help you stay on top of your exercise routine despite the busyness that comes with summer vacations and family activities. If you struggle to find the time to exercise or need help figuring out what to do during a workout, group exercise might be for you.
Group exercise classes are offered in multiple time increments, so you can choose the class that works best for your schedule. The Y offers early morning classes, mid-morning classes, lunchtime classes, and evening classes to accommodate all schedules. Most classes are scheduled for 45 minutes, so you can be in and out of the Y within an hour. You also won’t have to worry about planning your workout because our instructors will guide you through the workout every step of the way.
Our group exercise instructors are trained to provide high-quality workouts in a supportive environment. Instructors offer exercise options to accommodate multiple fitness levels in each class, and the support you receive (from both instructor and classmates) will keep you coming back for more. If you’re unsure which exercise class might work best for you, reach out to your facility’s Wellness Director for advice. You can find our Group Exercise schedules here!
The supportive environment of group exercise classes will help you feel more connected to your community, and you might even meet a new friend! The Y hopes to see you in a group exercise class this summer!"
Many thanks to our Wellness experts for helping us learn how to care for ourselves this season!