fitness/nutrition
Summertime Fitness
Try Something New & Make It a Lifestyle
We made it! Summer is finally
here and all of the things we dreamt
about this past frigid, tough winter
are here for us to embrace. As I was
embracing the fresh, morning air,
and warmth of the sunshine on my
morning jog, the sight of a beautiful apple-red cardinal flew past,
reminding me that one of the things
I wanted to do this summer was
to visit an apple orchard and pick
my own apples. One of my favorite
healthy snacks, and one I recommend to my clients, is a crisp apple
with almond butter (my kids prefer
an apple with peanut butter, which
is another nutritious alternative to
sugary, processed snacks), and is
also an easy go-to snack when aiming for a protein/carb combo snack
to fuel the body.
If you haven’t already given
thought to your bucket list for the
summer, consider one of these fun
opportunities to create new experiences as part of living a healthy, fit
lifestyle:
Visit an Apple Orchard or
a Blueberry or Strawberry
Farm or Festival - pick your
own fruit and enjoy farm fresh
goodness in the raw, or in a
salad or dessert.
Walk To or Around your
local Farmers’ Market (Saturday mornings in most communities) - discover fresh, organic produce and support local
farmers by buying at Farmers’
Markets and make delicious,
nutritious meals at home for your
family and for entertaining guests.
Schedule a Walking Outing
(or make it an impromptu walk)
- get outdoors and explore one of
Indy’s treasured parks or walking
trails such as Eagle Creek Park,
The Monon Trail, Downtown Canal, White River State Park, or the
Conner Prairie Interactive History
Park, or venture out into your own
neighborhood and make a daily or
nightly walk part of your summer
ritual.
the best, safest total body exercises
that anyone at any age can do. Easy
on the joints and good for the entire
body, swimming can rejuvenate not
just your body, but your mind too!
Get Outside and Play - re-ignite
your inner child and get outside for
some unscheduled, unplugged play
time. Remember when life was a
bit simpler and throwing a Frisbee,
shooting hoops, playing in the pool
or riding your bike was all that we
needed to relish in summer?
Getting outdoors to welcome all
that summer offers is great for our
overall health and fitness. Not just
our physical fitness because we can
move and walk more, but for our
mental, emotional, intellectual and
spiritual fitness. As Henry David
Thoreau said, “Me thinks that the
moment my legs begin to move,
my thoughts begin to flow.”
Think about this if you find yourself
searching for time to work on your
fitness or in need of guidance or a
change.
Try a New Sport or Get Back
Cheers to Summer in Indy and
To One That You’ve Been Missthe creative, inspiring thoughts that
ing - feed your mental fitness by
begin to flow the moment we start
learning a new sport that you’ve
to move!
always wanted to try such as tennis,
golf, biking or hiking.
By Susan Van Ho