Your Summer Wellness Guide: Practical Tips for a Healthy Season

By Megan Wroe, MS, RD, CNE, CLEC

Summer offers ample opportunities to embrace wellness, from exploring new places, playing outdoors, or simply enjoying a slower pace of life. Like any seasonal change, there are also new challenges, such as hot weather, travel, or disrupted routines that can also easily throw healthy habits off track. Being proactive about our health and making some intentional choices now can help fuel a summer that supports energy, mobility, cognition, stress resiliency and overall vitality. Here are some easy to implement tips for a healthy summer, all based on the whole-person wellness strategies that we teach every day at St. Jude Wellness Center.

Our goal is to help you thrive through every season of life.

— St. Jude Wellness Center

Hydration

As we age, our thirst cues naturally decline, making dehydration a common cause of fatigue, brain fog, constipation, and skin issues. Add hot weather to this equation and people of all ages become high risk for dehydration in the summer months.

Tips to stay hydrated:

• Carry a refillable water bottle and sip steadily throughout the day rather than large amounts in one to two sittings.

• Choose low-sugar, low/no caffeine drinks for the majority of your liquid intake: sparkling water with fresh lemon or lime, herbal iced teas, coconut water, or fruit-infused water are great options.

• On flights or long car rides: aim for 8 oz of water per hour and limit alcohol and caffeine.

• Consider electrolyte mixes made with low glycemic sweeteners like monkfruit or stevia instead of high sugar sports drinks.

Check out our wellness center blog for hydrating mocktail recipes to add some variety and flair to your beverage menu!

Exercise Smart and Safe

Extended sitting—whether in a car, plane, or tour bus—slows circulation and stiffens joints. Regular movement will help you maintain your health goals and prevent unwanted discomfort while on the move.

Tips for summer exercise:

• At the airport: Walk the terminals instead of sitting at the gate.

• On long car rides: Stop every 90–120 minutes to walk and stretch.

• Do 10–15 reps every one to two hours of bodyweight moves such as squats, wall push-ups, or step-ups on stairs with handrails. 10 squats every 45 minutes of an eight-hour stretch mimics the benefits of hitting your 10,000 daily steps!

• Explore on foot or by bike: Walking/biking tours, nature hikes, beach strolls or boardwalk biking/skating are wonderful ways to stay active while sightseeing.

Remember that motion is lotion and movement is medicine. You don’t need a gym to move your body. When you ARE home this summer though, be sure to jump into some Functional Fitness classes like Cruising or Tai Chi Yoga at the wellness center!

Protect Your Skin

Our skin is our largest organ and is often forgotten about in wellness conversations. Sun protection is critical for protecting the skin, especially with increased outdoor time during summer.

Tips for healthy summer skin:

• Opt for mineral-based sunscreen (zinc oxide or titanium dioxide). Reapply every two hours while outdoors.

• Wear UPF-rated clothing and a wide-brim hat for added protection.

• Eat for skin health: omega-3 fatty acids (salmon, walnuts, flax), antioxidant-rich produce (berries, leafy greens, tomatoes).

• After sun exposure: soothe and repair skin with aloe vera or vitamin C serums and Epsom salt baths or foot soaks.

Learn more about holistic skincare in our recorded webinar and be sure to book a facial or back facial at the wellness center!

Support Sleep & Stress Resilience

Travel and longer daylight hours can disrupt sleep and strain the nervous system, which can lead to feelings of fatigue, body aches, and even cognitive delays. Prioritizing rest and finding ways to normalize your circadian rhythm is key during the bright, hot summer days when this can feel less natural than in the winter.

Tips for enhanced summer sleep:

• Stick to a consistent sleep routine—go to bed and wake up around the same time as much as possible, even when traveling.

• Use a sleep mask and white noise app to counter light and sound disruptions. You may want to consider temporary blackout window coverings if you are in a bright room, or bring black trash bags and painter’s tape to an Airbnb to make your room dark.

• Lean on AC in the later afternoon hours to make sure your room is cool at bedtime. Some people enjoy mattress cooling pads or room fans.

• Practice simple breathwork (such as box breathing or the 4-78 breath) before bed to calm the nervous system. Or try gentle stretching or restorative yoga before bed.

• While supplements are not typically powerful on their own, adding magnesium glycinate or taurate to your relaxing evening routine can help when circadian rhythm is off.

• Minimize alcohol intake, especially two-three hours before bed, as alcohol can inhibit the deeply restorative sleep our bodies need.

Wellness center offers a variety of restorative classes like yoga and sound bath, as well as private sessions of both massage therapy and yoga therapy. When on the road or unable to come in, we also invite you to try some of our breathwork or sound bath videos to keep up your stress resilience practice

Fuel Your Body for Adventure

Changing schedules, hot weather and summertime celebrations can lead to skipped meals and more “sometimes foods” than we usually choose. While there is always room for celebratory food, remember to incorporate nourishing options daily as well.

Tips for maintaining nourishing food options:

• Pack travel-friendly snacks:

° Packets of salted nuts

° Turkey or salmon jerky

° Cut vegetables with hummus packs

° Hard-boiled eggs

° Fresh berries or apples with nut butter packs

° String cheese with dehydrated fruit chips

° Crunchy chickpeas or edamame

° Low sugar granola with yogurt packs

• Build balanced meals on the go – prioritize protein and fiber

° Look for grilled fish or chicken with vegetables

° Choose salads with added protein

° Opt for grain bowls with legumes and greens

° Be the one who brings a fruit or veggie dish to the potluck!

• Limit alcohol and sugary drinks, which dehydrate and disrupt blood sugar

Food should fuel your adventures, not weigh you down. Our dietitian services and online nutrition education programs can help you master quick, nourishing meals and smart snacking strategies that fit daily life as well as celebratory moments.

Cognitive Wellness On the Go

New environments and schedules for the summer are perfect opportunities to stimulate your brain and support cognitive health, whether your goals are condition management or proactive aging.

Tips for ongoing cognitive stimulation:

• Engage in brain games while traveling: crosswords, Sudoku, or memory apps are easy to pack in a carry-on or find on your phone

• Stay socially connected both with loved ones as well as striking up random discussions with people in your travels. Conversation and new experiences support neuroplasticity.

• Find opportunities for play. Whether it’s taking your dog to the dog beach for ball play or exploring new parks with grandkids, engaging with new terrain where your body has to navigate with all of its senses is dual-tasking cognitive training at its finest.

Thriving minds and thriving bodies go hand in hand, which is why all services at the wellness center, from massage to nutrition to movement, all incorporate cognitive strategies. Join the wellness center newsletter for updates on a comprehensive brain gym program being developed in this upcoming year!

Wellness is a year-round journey, but summer is the perfect opportunity for a renewed focus on health. Whether you a looking to enhance your own health span or helping clients to navigate the health and wellness world, simple strategies and partnerships with trusted professional resources are the first place to begin.

St. Jude Wellness Center offers nutrition, fitness and stress resilience services to help optimize your health. To learn more about services, programs and monthly free webinars on a variety of health and wellness topics, visit the Programs & Events page at: www.stjudewellnesscenter.org stjudewellness@stjoe.org 714-578-8770

Megan Wroe, MS, RD, CNE, CLEC manages St. Jude Wellness Center, an integrative wellness department of St. Jude Medical Center. St. Jude Wellness Center is located in Brea, CA and offers a variety of nutrition, fitness and restorative programs and services for prevention and condition management such as PD.

For more information: www.stjudewellnesscenter.org