Ready for Summer, but not for the extreme heat? Keep these 4 helpful hints in your mind and finally be able to beat the heat!

1. Hydrate or die-drate...

Drink your water.

There are so many ways to hydrate yourself during the summer. Of course, water is the easiest way, and you can keep a water bottle on you at all times. If water is too boring for you, try getting those powder add-ins that many brands such as Crystal Light, Gatorade, and even Starbucks sell at local drugstores or grocery stores. Tea is also another great alternative and especially a great alternative to your morning coffee, and unlike coffee, it will be way more hydrating.

Eat your water.

Another way that most people forget to stay hydrated is through what you eat. There are so many fruits and vegetables that contain mostly water, and if you aren’t big on the bland taste of water you can always eat your way to hydration.

Some examples of foods with a water content above 90 percent include but aren’t limited to;

Cucumber (96.7%), Iceberg Lettuce (95.6%), Celery (95.4%), Tomatoes (94.5%), Green Peppers (93.9%), Cauliflower (92.1%), Watermelon (95.1%), Star Fruit (91.4%), Strawberries, (91%), Broccoli (90.7%), Grapefruit (90.5%), Baby Carrots (90.4%), and Cantaloupe (90.2%).

Most of these foods are already incorporated into our daily lives, but an increase in these foods can keep you so much more hydrated.

2. Take care of your skin!

Sunscreen is your best friend!

Sunscreen is a must to keep your skin healthy, young and wrinkle-free, and much less likely to get sun-related skin damage from sunspots to skin cancer. Sunscreen is so much more than protecting yourself from sunburn but also can prevent premature aging, shield yourself from harmful UV rays, and lowers blotchiness of skin so that you can constantly look sun-kissed but not sun-destroyed.

Exfoliate.

The basic rule of skin is to exfoliate your skin. Your body sheds skin so much… literally, like every minute of every day and if you don’t get rid of it, it will stay in your skin making it look dry. You can moisturize yourself as much as you want, but if you don’t exfoliate your skin will never truly glow.

Hydrate your skin.

Don’t forget that after you exfoliate you must must must put lotion on. Moisturizing is the best way to keep your skin feeling smooth, and elastic, as well as helps keeps you from developing extreme dryness or extreme oiliness. Both excessive dryness and oiliness can cause skin problems like acne, rashes, and bumps.

Take a break from make-up.

For summer try the natural look, and try unclogging your pores by keeping them free of heavy products. If you are desperate to wear make-up, I would try a tinted moisturizer or sunscreen, because it offers light coverage while protecting and moisturizing your skin.

3. Maintain a healthy diet.

Hydrate! (Yes, hydration is really key)

Read the section above about hydrating, because at this point in the article I have already engrained my love and the benefits of hydrating yourself.

Clean Eating.

Try taking a break from fast-food and extremely processed foods by eating the fruits and veggies of the summer season. Most of the fruits and veggies that were listed above with 90 percent of water content and above are a part of the summer season harvest.

Along with clean eating, you will look better while you tan by your local beach, pool, lake or corn field and you will feel better.

4. Get your rest!

SLEEP, SLEEP, SLEEP.

Despite if you are a college student on summer break, or working full time and just enjoying the weekends of summer, don’t forget to get a good amount of rest each week.

The recommended nightly average is 7-8 hours, but most can’t reach that average intake so I recommend either planning your daily schedule better or taking mini 30-minute naps throughout the day.