july in your body

now that summer is in full swing, july brings in cookout season, summer camps, and longer days for socializing and getting sunlight. the heat continues to build up after the warmth of late-may and june and it starts to settle in your tissues. tissues associated with heat include the blood, the digestive tissues, and the nervous system— so finding cooling and balancing practices this time of year are pivotal for maintain systemic equilibrium.

lifestyle & routine

because like increases like, the sunny and warm aspect of the summer months motivates us to get outside, get active, and get involved. during july, it’s useful to counteract some of this heat by taking time off to do nothing. movement creates heat and heat creates life. with the long days comes the insatiable itch to go outside and play, so having time of inertia is particularly useful around this time.

it can sometimes be hard to find right time to squeeze in time for yourself or create space for even a moment of luxury. excess heat creates irritability and agitation, leaving our nervous system fried and fatigued. taking the time to cool off with something simple and cooling like a hydrosol/face mist helps to reduce the build up in our head.

at the end of the day, a cool shower or spending time in the moon (moon bathing) helps to get our bodies cooled off and ready for a night of restful slumber. continuing to prioritize getting in bed at or before 10pm aids in support the healing of the liver tissues after a day of heat build up, as well. with our skin being the biggest organ on our body, a light layer of coconut oil (called abhyanga) before a cool nighttime shower will boost the cooling process of the body.

the sun is hottest in the midday, so keeping our bodies nourished with something light but nutritive (like a smoothie), will keep your engines running without bogging you down and turning the mood sluggish. over all, our priority remains in maintaining stable meal times and honor our bodies hunger (or fullness) signals.

diet staples

along the same trend as may or june, early july warrants cooling and hydrating foods that are substantial enough to help maintain electrolyte balance. cucumbers, berries, bitter greens, tropical sweets, and melons will all quench your thirst and satiate the dry heat in the mouth. cilantro, fennel, coconut oil, quinoa, fish, and citrus add a splash of flavor to your meal without adding the weight/strain on your digestion.

towards the end of july, though, too much of these hydrating foods will lead to diuresis (or depletion through flushing), triggering dehydration. end of july signals a flip of the switch into late summer, a time to prepare for fall. so late july menu items will include demulcents (think cool and gooey like chia) and sweet taste (which is building and cooling) for nourishing the tissues. menu items begin to include peaches, grapes, chia seeds, white rice, quinoa, sweet potato, carrots, fish, and egg whites.

what’s next

summer is at it’s peak, and cooler days are just around the corner, so continue to rest, relax, recover and then repeat so that you’re time out in life is most fulfilling instead of depleting. and, as always, reach out to your friendly neighborhood lifestyle consultant if you need a hand getting started.

the value of daily routine

our cells, our organs, and our bodies are like well made swiss watches. we are a part of nature and therefore move like nature— just like the 24 hour cycle of a day, or the seasonal transitions of the year. we perform best when we maintain organization through routine.

by nature, we have evolved to operate much like energy-efficient appliances. both sleep-time and wake-time having a part in our cellular repair and organ recovery. but in this modern time, it’s quite tough to find balance through something as simple as daily routine.

how do we “make time” when time is money and popular concepts of “self care” looks a lot like vegetating in front of the television? start small, and remind yourself that just a few minutes of intentional practices make a world of difference in your rhythm.

routine and digestion

our digestion, or our agni, is like a furnace that has peak times and down times. our body adapts to when nutrients are introduced to the body and begins to plan accordingly. before food even hits your tongue, your body begins sending hunger signals the the brain and primes the gi tract for food introduction. when we eat irregularly, it leaves our body in a state of being “on call”, which fatigues the signalling systems and may also contribute to indigestion and poor assimilation.

as the day turns to night, our furnace starts to cool down— rerouting the energy towards healing and higher level digestive processes (think small/large intestine). if you continue to take in food, the workload gets backlogged and you end up with fermenting food stuffs in your gi. gross.

eating at regular times everyday sets your internal clock on a path of success (big bonuses if you eat most of your nutrients before 5pm and cease intake after).

meals and bedtime

we don’t get the privilege of learning much about sleep other than the high level “get 6-8 hours of sleep” and “sleep is good for brain health”. sleep is this incredible adaptation that allows our body to shut us down just enough to preserve energy used to reharmonize our organs and heal from metabolic waste product accumulation.

part of what makes mondays so unpleasant culturally is the misunderstanding that “8 hours of sleep” equates to great sleep, no matter what time you head to bed and wake. so when the weekend comes around, it’s compelling to indulge in later nights (culture of alcohol notwithstanding) and later mornings. in essence, this pattern sets us up for weekend-jet lag and dysregulates our sleep hormone balances.

as it pertains to routine, meal times, and sleep— keep it simple and plan to go to bed and wake within a two hour window every day (yes, even the weekends), and plan to get in bed no sooner than 3 hours after eating your last meal.

contemplation and mindfulness

at minimum, giving yourself time to connect with the world around you in an intellectual way works wonders to stabilizing the outcomes of poor routine. conscious awareness, mindfulness, has an incredible way of slowing time down. taking just a few moments to expand your perception or sense experience attunes you to the infinite nature of the now.

not to parrot this popular/toxically positive narrative that “there is only now”— what has been and what will be hold significant places in your present tapestry. reconnect with time to begin with the end in mind, to set your highest goal and then try to reach it locks your sights on a tangible target, instead of simply floating along to the rhythms of the world around you.

explore how your day unfolds when you start and end your day with yourself, a moment of appreciation, enthusiasm, or pride in something you have (or hope to) create hits like a jolt of lightening and lays the groundwork to your most successful behavior changes.

june in your body

coming up on the midway point of the year and things really start to heat up. the cycle of the seasons are reflected in the cycle of life and even the cycle of the day. the beginning is cool and damp, the middle is the hottest part, and the end is chilly and dry. life imitates art imitates cycles and nature understands the concept of “work smarter, not harder”. she follows the same pattern all throughout without reinventing the wheel. with june’s arrive comes warmth and sun that winter-us dream of— so instead of immediately longing for the cold winter, let’s unpack some ways to make the most of the season without throwing your body out of balance.

lifestyle & routine

as the old adage goes, like increases like— so, as the temperatures outside rise, a lifestyle that is also hot and rajasic with minimal rest will exacerbate your hot quality. while we all may be drawn to exacerbating our hotness, heat in the body contributes to ailments such as inflammation, restlessness, anxiety, and volatility. because likeness is drawn to likeness (birds of a feather, after all), the longer days, warmth, and liveliness of the summer time fosters that in us. though the day is longer, continue to aim for sleep before 10pm so your hot organs (heart, liver) are able to reset and heal properly.

as another adage goes, opposites create balance— imbalance is the spice of life but encouraging too much imbalance makes everything harder on yourself. remember, work smarter, not harder. when you feel yourself getting caught up in the summer-y vibes of summer and need a bit of balance, try adding in a cool shower (or ever a cool face wash) in the morning.

with heat and humidity comes accumulation— this is particularly taxing on the lymphatic system which, when improperly set up in the spring, may be in a persistent state of stagnation. dry brushing (called garshana) helps to get the lymph moving. when your lymphatic system is movin and groovin, your immune response is more effective and your waste removal system gets to fire on all cylinders.

diet staples

so, in the hot time of year (and not too different from may’s staples), cooling foods and herbs will be your best bet. cucumbers, berries, bitter greens, tropical sweets, and melons will all quench your thirst and satiate the dry heat in the mouth. cilantro, fennel, coconut oil, quinoa, fish, and citrus add a splash of flavor to your meal without adding the weight/strain on your digestion.

though nothing hits like a summer-time day drink followed by some afternoon carb-loading and evening round two, alcohol is a ferment (like cheese, bread, kombucha). ferments contain the metabolic waste products from the “biotic additions” to the foods— essentially, we ingest a little bit of bacteria metabolites as a result of consumption. now, all things in moderation, but ferments in particular increase heat in the body and contribute to inflammation systemically. minimizing (or just moderating) ferment intake will support your system and save inflammatory energy for when it’s really needed.

what’s next

things are only going to get hotter and plans are going to continue to pop up, so be sure to schedule in your down time— rest, relax, recovery and then repeat so that you’re time out in life is most fulfilling. and, as always, reach out to your friendly neighborhood lifestyle consultant if you need a hand getting started.

may in your body

now that april showers are behind us, may is a month of beauty and bloom. here in the middle of spring, we’ve begun to clear out the stagnation of winter and thaw the cold, hard blockages. it’s a fabulous time to set yourself up for success for the daylight and warmth of summer, so let’s get after it…

lifestyle & routine

the sun is rising earlier (and so are the birds)— here on the sunnier side of the year is a wonderful opportunity to get started with your day sooner and really seize that jawn. the first few moments after wake-up are prime time to set an intention and start on the right foot (even before you put your feet on the floor). before you grab for your phone, try asking yourself this: “how do I want to feel about myself when I get into bed tonight?”

because springtime is a time to thaw, clear, and cleanse from the dark, cold winter, little habits like oil puling or tongue scraping take very little commitment and aid in clearing the wastes that accumulate from your body’s nightly cleaning. if you’re really looking to dive in to a new habit, try neti pot (which helps with clearing allergens from the sinuses).

good routine in the season of sun, growth, and light sets the stage for ample success in your days. not every moment (nor every day) will be high, positive, and progress— but finding 5 minutes in your morning to set the stage will support with stress response and resilience in the immediate moment, and health and flow in the long run.

diet staples

temperatures are still volatile (especially in early may) and clearing and cleansing is still priority. but with summer right around the corner, some staple food stuffs for the month include those with dilating, cooling, and hydrating properties. what goes on inside of us reflects what’s going on around us. and while the body is adaptive, modifying your diet for the season supports your systems so your energy can be directed towards more prudent tasks.

light and bitter greens like asparagus, brussel sprouts, or arugula are chok full of vitamins and minerals and offer a bitter taste to body tonify your insides skins and stimulate the peristalsis that keeps your wastes moving through your channels of elimination.

as the weather gets warmer, cooling foods like lime, cucumber, avocado will provide the nutrients our bodies need while keeping the system from over heating. in a nutshell, your liver processes all of the byproducts of digestion, filtering out waste before sending the good stuff into the blood stream. because blood is “hot” (from an eastern perspective), late spring diet into summer should consist of cooler foods to keep your liver function more stable/less over-taxed.

finally, as the heat kicks up, your body begins sweating and flushing that heat through your skin organ (like how that sounds? skin organ). we need electrolytes quite literally to exist properly, so berries, melons, pineapples (tropical fruits) are robust sources for hydrating sweetness.

what’s next

the soon-to-arrive summer is the season for being social, being in the sun, and making plans. may is a fabulous month to not only plan vacations, but also to plan for rest and recovery. sleep/rest/recovery time is important always but falls to the wayside when the outside is nice and it’s fun to go play. chill, vibe, and live wholly my friends.