To our delight, spring has decided to grace us with its presence after all! With it, comes the soft and savoury promise of summer, which warms our heart and soul, as it should, after such a long and particularly intense winter! So how does one avoid the urge to melt prematurely before these tropical months? We all want to take advantage of every second of delicious sun, green parks, enchanting smells and sublime flora and fauna that are slowly coming back to life. It’s a delicious problem, wouldn’t you say?
However, it is true that within this context, we are often confronted with certain temptations. What to do?
*Resist and feel lonely in the midst of the “party” around you?
OR
*Give in and forget about the deep yogi within you, throwing your resolutions and healthy habits that do you so much good to the wind?
Well, for me, it’s neither. I refuse to sacrifice my health and habits because the summer is so short, but I also refuse to not spoil myself, because that, too, is so important…
For me, the notion of pleasure is of capital importance for anyone to be happy!
We simply can’t hold back our need to feel satisfaction and happiness because they could potentially steer us further from our path. It’s not natural to do things this way. We must always give ourselves happiness and what feels right, no matter what the cost!
That’s why I think that the most important thing is to find balance in order to satisfy our cravings and needs while staying in harmony with our essence and our voice, and allow ourselves to combine quality, pleasure, listening, complicity, friendship, fun, and self-respect.
But how is it possible to achieve this balance?
Well, I think there are several ways that are personal to each individual depending on your demons and race horses. But nevertheless, here is an exhaustive list of alternatives and tricks to not lose your way while taking advantage of this delicate spring and the upcoming summer, which looks like it will be more than delicious:
*Create a wall of visions, desires and urges: the power of visual images is incredible, and those who have tried it are mad for it, simply because it works! Being able to clearly see what you want takes a lot more mind space than even a very focused thought. Of course, associating both is a very good way to help us concentrate on our true aspirations and achieve the desired result.
Don’t hesitate to really think about what makes your heart beat, what motivates you, makes you want to move forward, what you want to obtain, do, or change, with the help of images, photos, drawings, words, quotes or anything else you can think of. Create a wall whose roll will be to help you find your way when you’re stuck, tired, or need to let go. It will be your number 1 MOTIVATION to always keep moving forward!
*Those famous barbecues: We all know it: summer is barbecue season and it’s often difficult to enjoy them if like me, you don’t eat meat or fish (which doesn’t mean you necessarily judge your friends for eating those things, though). No, what we want to do is inspire them; to do so, why not create colourful fruit and veggie skewers, living and vibrant with sauces that will make them fall head over heels with jealousy? HAHAHA!
You can do them cooked or raw: there are so many delicious possibilities. Pepper-onion-mushroom; three melons; peach-date-apricot; cherry tomato-cucumber-yellow tomato; raspberry-cherry-blackberry-blueberry; zucchini-orange pepper-kohirabi-sweet potato; pineapple-banana-mango…
Also don’t hesitate to play on the visual aspect, which always attracts curious people, and pair everything with savoury sauces made with thyme, coriander, cajun spices and for people with a sweet tooth, chocolat, Maca, vanilla… Everyone will love them, I promise, and you won’t be tempted to reach for something you don’t actually want and that isn’t good for you!
*Our frozen friends: to me, summer rimes with frozen treats, but not just any treat, of course! Always have a few sweet treats on hand by filling your freezer with frozen fruit: bananas, mangoes, pineapple, red berries…
There are also many ways to create healthy frozen treats without added sugar, additives, preservatives, or cream. And everyone will love them, young and old! Use your imagination to create wonders for all tastes and in all shapes. You’ll see: it’s super easy!
*Hydration: During the hotter periods, it’s important to be more vigilant than usual and be sure to drink enough water. A body can quickly become dehydrated without even giving any warning signs beforehand. You won’t be doing your body any good and it will be easier to succumb to useless outside temptations. Ensure you always have a water bottle in your bag and prepare all kinds of flavoured water: lemon water, berry water, mint water, ginger water. These are a tasty way of enjoying a fruitier or more refreshing version of our favourite life nectar!
*Working out: Let’s be clear: “summer” doesn’t mean you should be lounging around doing nothing. I’d even go as far as saying that on the contrary, we should be working twice as hard to do our workouts as scheduled, and add outdoor activities to the routine, too.
Simply because everything is simpler and furthermore, it will help us fight the potential obstacles on our path!
It’s time to get out of your comfort zone, to try acroYoga in parks, to take a swim, go out dancing, go bicycling, organizing volleyball meets… Everything should become an excuse to get moving with friends, family, or by joining different workout groups that are simply waiting for you to participate and create new relationships. Spoil yourself by spoiling your body, heart, and mind. Push yourself forward…
*Alcohol: This is a taboo subject but that needs to be addressed, I think. A personal choice for each individual, for some, the decision will be irrevocable: “Never, never! I don’t touch alcohol.” For others, who have the urge to drink, there are options for being good and not hurting your body so much by choosing liquids that are easier to digest.
Obviously, everything lies in moderation, so challenge yourself with a limited quota for the evening, that you will not exceed under any circumstance.
Also, don’t hesitate to go for softer alcoholic beverages like homemade sangria that contains real juice, spritzer with carbonated water, bubbly, wine (pinot noir is the best because of the amounts of resveratrol it contains), cider and gluten-free beer.
There is also the possibility of going for fermented drinks that contain a minuscule quantity of alcohol and are delicious, like kombucha.
Tell yourself that every drink you take will have to be sweated out the next day, or think of the number of kilometres you’ll have to run the next day to compensate. You definitely won’t drink as much!
*Wellness: Especially, don’t hesitate to take some time to yourself and spoil yourself by taking in a bit of sun, reading under a tree, putting your bare feet on the ground, going out to take in the soft floral fragrances, meditating to the sound of bird songs, breathing deeply, walking, contemplating the world…
Be grateful for these simple moments which are sublime gifts of life that surround us! This appreciation will bring you such great content that you won’t need much to stay serene, peaceful, happy, satisfied, and free of needs other than that to BE!
LIFE IS A UNIQUE AND WONDERFUL PLAYGROUND; KNOW HOW TO HEAR ITS MUSIC, LISTEN TO ITS HEART BEAT, GO WITH THE SAME ENERGY WITH LOVE, RESPECT, FUN, AND CURIOSITY, AND THE UNIVERSE WILL NEVER CEASE TO SURPRISE YOU AND OFFER YOU THE BEST!
