How To Increase Your Energy Levels, Productivity And Wellness This Summer
By: Gunjan Jain
Tags: Summer, Energy Efficiency, Wellbeing, Productivity, Wellness

With longer days and balmy evenings, summer allows for freestyling with your routine. Here are my top tips for making this summer your most energetic, productive and fun:

Wake up earlier

Have you ever tried not setting an alarm, and allowing your body to wake up when it’s ready to? I know it sounds a bit risky, especially when you have busy schedules to stick to, but start by trying it on a weekend. A few days in, you will find that you wake up exactly when you need to but you must force yourself out of bed when you do. No snoozing allowed! Summer is the perfect time to run this little experiment because an earlier sunrise means that your body can attune to it quicker. Even if you are not tempted to do this, set your alarm for 30 minutes ahead of your regular time. Give yourself a headstart on the day.

Find a way to make your mornings active

A workout is not always possible for everyone in the mornings. Busy parents especially find it challenging. In the summers, though, when kids are not at school, take advantage of a relatively free schedule to make your mornings more active. Perhaps you can take a family walk. Or go swimming together. Or even workout to an online video. If you can do a solo workout, focus as much on high-intensity exercises as you do on stretches and balancing yoga asanas to counter the heat.

Pace yourself through the day

Make time in your day for quick rounds of meditation, and for short bursts of any activity that makes you happy. As climate change causes temperatures to rise globally, summer days can feel a bit exhausting. Keep your environment cool, though not arctic. Give yourself 15 minutes every two hours to wind down a bit.

Lighten your diet — in a good way

In India, summer fruits are sweet and juicy — nature’s perfect remedies to counter the blazing heat. While eating too many mangoes is never a good idea — they are packed with sugar, after all — you must add in extra servings within limit to your diet. If you are not a fan of eating raw food, which many people are not, steamed light greens are great at this time, too. And hydrate, hydrate, hydrate but not with aerated drinks. If you get tired of plain old water, try infused waters — my favourite combination is apple slices, a stick of cinnamon, mint and lemon peel.

Set bigger goals for yourself

Summer is a great season for manifesting what you want. Not just in a spiritual sense, but also practically speaking — the weather makes us feel more motivated to get things done. Whether at work or in your personal life, give yourself some interesting, challenging goals to chase. Pick a hobby. Decide to meet that target at work. Get creative with your finances, and see what you can switch around. Read more books. See friends. Attend concerts. The possibilities are endless.

Prioritize sleep

Especially in the heat, getting enough rest is a must. Even if it means you sneak in a quick nap at work. Arianna Huffington is a big advocate of this, and I completely agree with her. A 15-minute nap makes a world of difference to productivity, focus and energy levels. At night, keep your bedroom cool — again, not freezing cold — and allow yourself to rest. No social media scrolling and no Netflix. Our bodies need rest in order to be able to function in high temperatures.