Welcome to week two of the BePure Summer of Wellness. The hot summer weather is well and truly here, bringing it with it outdoor adventures, social gatherings and plenty of festive celebrations.

As the business and school year wraps up there is a lot of excitement and we tend to have busy social schedules. We spend more time being social with family, friends and work colleagues which is nourishing for our souls however it also means we spend less time at home cooking our own fresh meals. The change in means we can also find it harder to stick to our usual wellness routines.   

Because we are a product of our own environment, you might find it easier to stick to a wellness routine when others around you are also motivated to live a healthy lifestyle. Similarly, at the end of the year when the people around us tend to be in festive mode, many of us will it harder to stay motivated and support our health goals. 

As we mentioned last week, you might find yourself in these situations more often:

• Social gatherings where alcohol is at your fingertips
• Shared dining where there are minimal or no gluten free, dairy free or refined sugar free options
• Tempted to overindulge with all the food and drink options leading up to Christmas and on the day
• Busy social schedule that makes sticking to a routine difficult

“While the festive season might make it harder to stick to your usual routine, it is still achievable to live a happy, healthy lifestyle through the silly season.”

While the festive season might make it harder to stick to your usual wellness routine, it is still achievable to live a happy, healthy lifestyle throughout the silly season. My goal is to help everyone feel empowered to live a balanced happy and healthy lifestyle all summer long.

"My goal is to help everyone feel empowered to live a balanced happy and healthy lifestyle all summer long."

10 Tips to Manage Expectations this Summer

To help you feel empowered, we’ve put together some tips to support you managing expectations this festival season. They will help you feel like your happiest, healthiest self, and you may even inspire others to make a positive change. 

Eating out?

1. Be Prepared - If you are going to an event, offer to bring something so you know there is at least one option you know you'll love. Inspire others around you by introducing them to a dish that is incredibly nourishing and delicious. We have lots of tasty and simple recipes on the BePure blog for inspiration. This will make your experience during social events so much more enjoyable and it means you can relax and take part in the important bit – catching up with loved ones. 

2. Healthy snacks before hand - Have a protein-rich snack before you go out such as a handful of nuts and seeds, a smoothie with a good quality plant based protein powder, some of our BePure bliss balls, coconut yoghurt, a hard boiled egg or some leftover roast meat. This will help you to avoid all the tempting food that is offered to you because your blood sugar levels will be stable.

"Don’t stress or worry if the food presented is not 100% healthy. This is all part of life."

3. Don’t stress. Love your fresh salads, greens, legumes, starchy veggies, and protein. It’s also important to not be too fussy. Sometimes a party salad is not a healthy as you would like but it may be your best choice. Don’t stress or worry if the food presented is not 100% healthy. This is all part of life. There is no need to be fussy because your body won’t mind a few imperfect meals here and there. My advice is to always choose the available option that will best nourish your body and simply add additional nourishing nutrients when you have your next meal.

Tempted to drink?

4. Start your day with some warm lemon water. The citric acid will jumpstart your energy and detoxification pathways.

5. Impress with a beautiful non-alcoholic beverage. I like to bring some sparkling water with a slice of lemon (who would think twice, it could be a vodka tonic!) or a kombucha. We’ve put together this stunning rose, hibiscus and vanilla kombucha mocktail recipe which is a great alternative for a festive dinner party, plus it looks just like a glass of rose!

6. Opt for beer or wine if you do choose to have an alcoholic beverage. Beer and wine have lower alcohol content and increased fluid helps you stay in control of how much you are consuming. I also recommend having a glass of water on the go at the same time, so you can alternate between the alcohol beverage and the water.

7. Stick to one alcoholic beverage. It is best to stick to one small beverage accompanied with food if you are having a drink and to keep the days you do indulge to a minimum.

8. Drink water. Once you get home drink two glasses of water before you go to bed to help your body rehydrate and reduce the symptoms of hangover the next day.

9. Get moving. Although you might not be feeling your best with reduced sleep, still plan to gently move your body.  As your nervous system won’t be up for much opt for a body balance class, stretching or a very light cardio workout.  The exercise will help your lymphatic system drain.  Then hop in the sauna for 20 minutes, again being sure to drink plenty of water the whole time.  The sauna will help the alcoholic metabolites leave your body (saving them from having to go through the liver), often you can literally smell the alcohol coming out of the skin.

Nourish with Nutrients

10. Nourish your body with nutrients. To lessen the pressure of remembering to do everything this silly season, simply chose something good to ‘add in’ while you’re enjoying the break.

"Remember, the best way to support your body is with nutrients."

The simple way to do this is remembering to take your nutritional support. While you are eating indulgent food or consuming alcohol it is even more important than ever to take your BePure One and Three to help support your baseline health and energy. It’s easy to forget when your routine changes, but they only work if you take them!

“To lessen the pressure of having to do everything, simply chose something good to ‘add in’ while you’re enjoying the break… The simple way to do this is remembering to take your nutritional support."

Above all else, the festive season is meant to be just that – festive. Don't add to your stress by worrying about things that are out of your control. Unwind, relax and place more emphasis on catching up with loved ones than whether or not your food and movement were perfect. Every day is a new day on your health journey and your body will give you clues as to what it needs to live a happy, healthy lifestyle this summer.  

SHARE YOUR SUMMER OF WELLNESS TO WIN

Share your Summer of Wellness on Instagram with #BePureBenWarren or tag us in your picture @BePureBenWarren to go in the draw to WIN a massive Summer of Wellness Prize. Trust us, this one is going to be epic… prize to be revealed soon.