Pamper Yourself With 2 Simple Summer Habits
If you’ve been hanging out with me here in the land of Magareeshi for pretty much any length of time, you’ve likely gotten hip to the fact that I have a thing for celebrating, honoring, and connecting my daily practices to the seasons.
Just like seasons, some of the things I do regularly, or at least how I do them, shift and change to be more in alignment with what’s up in nature.
You’ve also probably gathered that I have a thing for smoothies (like this springy one and even this wintry one)!
Once June comes my love of all things seasonal and smoothielicious get to come together as we celebrate this lively season with the Summer Solstice Smoothie Soirée every year.
As I’ve been prepping for this year’s Soirée, I’ve been giving a lot of thought to what most boosts health and happiness during the summer months. Like taking something as simple as spinach or a strawberry and transforming it into a balanced smoothie that strengthens your brain and body, your day to day healthy practices fuel you even more when you make them a little extra special.
When you ritualize the mundane and show yourself love by making something a tad more meaningful, it has a greater effect on your overall outlook. And when you have a better outlook, you behave better toward others. Loving yourself calms your nervous system, frees your mind from the B.S. it’s often too cluttered with, and nourishes your body in a deeper way.
So why not take what you already know to do for health and wellness and ramp it up just a bit, giving yourself a little extra pampering this summer? Doing so will have a positive impact on you and everyone else in your life.
Here are 2 easy ways you can zhuzh up otherwise basic health-boosting practices to make this summer even more enlivening:
Ramp up your hydration routine
Take extra good care of your tootsies
(1) RAMP UP YOUR HYDRATION ROUTINE (1)
Summer is the time to add in more water every single day, no matter what.
Check in with your hydration habit and see if you’re really doing yourself the service of hydrating properly before the Summer Solstice so you’re ready when the longest, hottest days arrive.
My favorite ways to make sure I’m getting more than enough water in every day are:
start the day with 16oz of lemon water bright and early
immediately make myself a 24oz cup of fresh fruit/herb-infused water to drink throughout the morning
As a non-negotiable part of my morning routine the first thing I do after waking up, peeing and brushing my teeth (because I don’t do anything before peeing or brushing my teeth!) is drink a 16oz glass of lemon water in one fell swoop. (Sometimes, in the cooler months I drink this too.) I add 1/4 cup of aloe juice to this a few times per week to support my gut and smooth muscle function with deep hydration as well as give myself an antioxidant and vitamin boost first thing in the morning to set the tone for good nutrition all day.
I prep this lemon water the night before as part of my nighttime routine. This way it takes no time or effort at all for me to kickoff each new day well hydrated.
I know this doesn’t sound revelatory, but, being a yoga practitioner who used to abide by the tradition of practicing yoga on a completely empty stomach, it truly made a positive impact on my brain power, skin health, gut health and overall wellbeing when I started prioritizing water intake even before yoga practice. I would get up and practice in the morning, going several hours before nourishing my body with any food or water and eventually this no longer worked for me. In reality, it probably never worked for me and was a disservice to my health.
Your brain needs precious hydration so it can do its precious work! So after sleeping and taking a multiple hours-long nutrition and hydration break, it’s a really good idea to start each day with some water asap.
I still do yoga in the morning, but since I drink this first water really quickly before I get dressed, washed up and meditate, I have time to metabolize it so it isn’t in the way during that first forward fold or downdog. I usually head outside for a walk before I do my yoga practice, thus allowing even more time to digest. I find my yoga practice is more focused and my body receives and responds to it better than when I practiced with no water in my system.
Before I get going onto all that will fill my my day, I fill a 24oz cup or water bottle with water. I often infuse it with a few pieces of fresh produce like citrus, berries or cucumber and maybe some fresh herbs like mint or basil. I keep this at the ready to be enjoyed throughout the earlier morning. That way I’ll be quite well hydrated long before lunch!
Pro-Tip: Use a cup with a wide straw, like this one. You’ll drink more water with each sip.
As soon as I finish that first 24 ounces, I refill my cup. I continue doing this throughout the day until bedtime which winds up helping me take in upwards of 90-100 ounces of water each day. Like prepping my morning lemon water the night before, filling this cup is a habit I’ve cultivated. If it’s filled and by my side, I’ll sip all day. If not, I’ll get busy and wait to get myself water until after I’ve finished whatever task I’m up to, which results in me not getting in enough hydration that day.
As a little extra something-something, when I want to zhuzh up my water intake with more nutrient density and flavor, a favorite go-to is my High Potency Hibiscus Hydrator!
High Potency Hibiscus Hydrator is a little bit like boba, but waaaaaaaaay better for you! It’s got no caffeine, it actually provides you with deep hydration and electrolytes, it’s relatively low in sugar, and it’s high in vitamins.
It’s simple to make ahead so it can be enjoyed any time of day! Here’s how:
MAGAREESHI’S HIGH POTENCY HIBISCUS HYDRATOR
This recipe makes 1, 16oz serving
1 TBS Chia Seeds
1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
2-3 TBS White Grape Juice*
¼ Cup Fresh Water
½ Cup Strong, Coconut Sugar-Sweetened Brewed Hibiscus Tea** — cooled
In the bottom of a glass, soak chia seeds in the apple cider vinegar, grape juice and water for about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent the chia seeds from clumping together.
Add the sweetened hibiscus tea to the chia mixture. Top with ice and enjoy!
This recipe makes 1, 16oz serving.
*How much white grape juice you use depends on how sweet you like things. Since hibiscus tea is quite tart, it’s best to sweeten that so you might like to start with 2 TBS of white grape juice and adjust to your liking. For the purposes of hydration, though, the more grapes the merrier! They’re laden with potassium.
**To make strong hibiscus tea: steep 1 TBS dried hibiscus flower petals in 2 cups of boiling water for 15-20 minutes. Mix in 1 Tbs of coconut sugar to melt. (Substitute the sweetener of your choice, but the amount may have to be adjusted depending on what you use, so if using something other than coconut sugar, do so to taste.)This amount of tea will make 4 of the above drinks.
This keeps nicely in the fridge for a few days without the chia seeds becoming “pudding” so go ahead a make a batch of 4 servings on Sunday to get through the busiest days of each week this summer.
Every delightful sip of this drink makes me feel pampered. Like I’ve done something especially good for myself and my family.
(2) TAKE EXTRA GOOD CARE OF YOUR TOOTSIES (2)
Chances are you’re going to get outside and enjoy nature a little more during these warmer months. How are your shoes supporting that mission?
I recently invested in an incredibly supportive pair of runners for my daily walks as well as a few pairs of very comfortable, truly supportive casual shoes and I am SO grateful that I did!
As a yoga teacher and practitioner I spend a lot of time barefoot. The more hormonal changes my peri-menopausal body goes through, effecting my joints, the more I’m reminded that my whole body craves a little more support when I’m not on my mat.
Plus, I injured a foot (while dancing away at an incredible India Arie concert at a park in Brooklyn, NY) 10 years ago and frankly it’s never quite been the same, has caused me some plantar fasciitis, and made my foot require a little more TLC than yoga alone can provide it. The second I started wearing proper footwear for my needs, my foot started healing better than any other time in the last decade. My lower back also felt generally better overall, every day. Amazing! (Please imagine my podiatrist sister-in-law rolling her eyes at my revelation.)
Pay close attention to how you stand — Do you distribute weight evenly on each foot? Are your hips and shoulders aligned to one another? Is your spine straight? I also highly recommend getting your foot gate assessed by either a podiatrist or a reputable running shoe company and, based on that, investing in at least one pair of shoes to take you on your summer adventures.
My podiatrist sister-in-law recommends replacing your athletic shoes every 6-9 months. No matter what.
I’m working on this mindset shift as I’m the kind of person who likes to buy an expensive thing and proudly get every single last inch out of it, not giving it up until it’s full of holes and completely shabby, but she insists keeping your feet supported in high quality footwear is the easiest thing any of us can do to support our whole physical body. …I’ll probably go more like 9-12 months, as long as my shoes remain in good shape and are continuing to support me, but still, that’s a big improvement on no shoes at all! LOL!
Additionally, when those shoes are off, you can take great care of your summer feet by keeping them exfoliated and moisturized!
In doing so, there’s a lot of evidence that shows you’re helping to detoxify your whole body. How great is that?! You can get pampered and improve your health by soaking, scrubbing and moisturizing your little life motors (aka, feet)? I’m IN!
My favorite at-home foot care practice, which I indulge in weekly, is to soak, scrub and balm up my tootsies.
It’s really easy to give yourself a pampering foot spa!
It requires minimal effort on your part, but you’ll experience great rewards and feel deeply loved from the inside out every time you take the time to indulge.
All you have to do is fill a bath tub with a few inches of warm water and drop in a few tablespoons of Herbal Foot Soak — which you can make easily by combining either Dead Sea salts, magnesium chloride flakes or epsom salts with a little peppermint essential oil (or the oil of your choice — grapefruit is refreshing and astringent, rosemary is detoxifying…the options are endless!). Or just buy this awesome ZeetaBody No Worries Foot Soak that my friend, Christine makes! Let the soak dissolve into the water and then rest your tired tootsies in the infused water for as long as you like (at least 10 minutes).
Alternatively, for extra summery pampering, soak your feet in a little bin/foot tub outside!
I highly recommend taking the self pampering to higher heights by sipping something delish (how about that Hibiscus Hydrator?!) while soaking those tremendous trotters.
Once your feet are soaked and your skin is softened, scoop out your choice of a luxurious exfoliant (I love this ZeetaBody one!), rub it into your hands and then massage your feet. Pay extra attention to the driest areas (like heels).
Pro-Tip: Scrub your hands, too!
Once you’re done massaging in the scrub, rinse gently, pat dry and apply your favorite killer peppermint foot balm or cream liberally all over your feet. Your feet will glow!
Be sure to put on soft slippers or socks after applying moisturizer if you’re going to be walking around so you don’t slip.
May you delight in this summer with all natural goodness in, on, and around your beautiful body! I hope this post inspires you to make your day to day good habits a little more indulgent and show yourself some extra love this season.
NamastYAY!
Maggie
