As a Fitness Professional, it's always great for me to see people outside enjoying a walk with their families, taking the dog for a stroll, enjoying a bike ride with a friend, or new Mothers doing their best jog pushing one of those crazy decked out strollers. Seeing people enjoy the weather and moving their bodies around town rather than hanging onto a treadmill at Lifetime Fitness is really where it's at and where the true message of active fitness kicks in.

So rather than delve into the mechanisms of Insulin or talk about the detriments of Gluten, I thought sharing a few Summer Health Strategies from an Eating, Exercise, and Reading standpoint would be great.

EXERCISE

Here's the biggest thing: you don't always have to go to a gym to exercise. Getting outside, especially when the weather is optimal, allows your body to move the way it was designed to move. Although great for a spike or challenge of exercise, treadmills, ellipticals, bikes, and rowers, do not allow for natural human motion, and in many cases can generate faulty mechanics. Human propulsion, the kind of motion where you actually propel yourself forward through space, and negotiate turns and terrain, is what the body thrives on.

Sleep

Yup, you should consider sleep as an integral part of health and exercise. Getting quality sleep is so importantt for a ton of reasons, but mostly to allow your body to regenerate. Also, it is well known that preparing for sleep is just as important: tv off an hour or so before, no other lit electronics, but perhaps a book and shower make sleep that much better.

Circadian Rhythm

Staying in tune with your inner Biological clock maximizes quality sleep and requires getting to bed as close to sundown and up when it rises. This is a natural innate process. Getting a walk in at sunrise is a fantastic way to get your body parts warm and moving and to organize your thoughts for the day.  

Read about the importance HERE 

In 'n Out

Quick, Efficient, and Effective Resistance Training of 20-45 minutes 3-4 x's per week is enough for most of the goals out there. If you strategically choose the right exercises in the right order with the appropriate resistance, you can kiss those hour and a half jaunts to the gym goodbye. Get together with a fitness professional to get organized and a plan of attack.

EATING

Summer Grilling is fantastic! Besides a vegetarian, who doesn't love some grilled, marinated, and spiced fish, chicken, or beef? Even veggies and fruit can make an appearance:

grilled pineapple, mushroom, and pepper kabobs are one of my favorites.

Farmer's Markets are a hit in the summer and can offer some great produce that hasn't been trucked across the country.

Grass-Fed, Wild, and Pastured Meats are turning up in more and more places, easy to find on the Internet, and becoming more affordable. Better for you in terms of 'good fat' profile and, well, feedlots suck.

READING

As you know, one of my biggest missions is learning and sharing the facts about eating and exercise. We are constantly inundated with the wrong eating and nutrition advice at the supermarket, on tv and print media, the FDA food guidelines, and even by most doctors. Skyrocketing obesity, diabetes, conditions/diseases and an overburdened healthcare system truly attests to it. Most infuriating is that the science is all there about what is 'good and bad' for the human body but it is ignored in favor of whatever agenda you choose to place on it.

Anyway, if you have the inkling to learn some of the stuff I have learned throughout my journey thus far, without too much of the intense science, I can recommend these three books to start:

1) The Omnivores Dilemma 

A great account of 4 typically eaten meals and their effects on human health.

The facts behind that grain which is wreaking so much havoc.

3) The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf

The Paleo diet is the healthiest way you can eat because it is the ONLY nutritional approach that works with your genetics to help you stay lean, strong and energetic! Research in biology, biochemistry, Ophthalmology, Dermatology and many other disciplines indicate it is our modern diet, full of refined foods, trans fats and sugar, that is at the  root of degenerative diseases such as obesity, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, depression and infertility. -Robb Wolf

Enjoy your Summer! Get outside and move that body, gather around a fire, cook some great food, and set your course for a journey of  

Optimal Health.