Sweet Summer Radiance!
Body, Spirit & Skin wisdom for summer-long Moonglow
Summer is Pitta season in Ayurveda, it's hot, intense, and playful. It's the season of fire and water, with long days, warm star-filled nights, juicy sticky summer fruits, cooling beverages, beaches, campfires, catching fireflies, and lounging poolside.
During summer, our vital self-care is intertwined with extra activities, travel, and daily life! In this blog, I thought I would share with you a few of my tips for floating through the summer without sacrificing well-being.
Tip #1 - Play with your food
Summer is a great time to experiment with fresh fruits and garden goodies. Enjoy your fruits in the morning as a simple breakfast, preferably warmed to increase digestibility. Countering hot humid days with fresh, cooling, soothing foods will protect our inner fire and keep digestion strong. Strong digestion = fuel for summer activities! At the end of this blog, I've included one of my go-to summer breakfast recipes, Pineapple Chia Pudding. It's a great morning "wake up the digestion" start to my day that leaves me feeling nourished and bright.
Tip #2 - Skip the ice water
Instead, cool yourself with infused room temp water! Add fresh garden mint or cucumber to infuse in your water throughout the day. Or, expand your palate and try various herbs like basil or sage with a squeeze of lemon. Ice water dampens digestive fire and can leave you feeling fatigued from the slowing of your "gut brain" and microbiome activity. What's in my water? Lemon basil! A basil variant I picked up from the master gardener's annual plant sale earlier this year, but lemon basil is fairly easy to find at most nurseries. I also enjoy lemon balm in my water, which has the added benefit of reducing stress and is soothing to my sensitive belly.
"When we drink cold water, our body has to expend a lot of energy to increase the temperature of the water to our internal organs, leaving us with less energy for healing and mental function." - Sahara Rose, Author and Ayurveda Expert
Tip #3 - Hydrate your skin
Most of us don't think about hydrating our skin as external action, but topical hydration helps prevent transepidermal water loss (otherwise known as TEWL). TEWL is when water from our body passes through the skin layers and evaporates from the skin's surface. While this is a normal function of the skin, sometimes we lose too much water from a damaged epidermis. This extra water loss is what can cause premature aging and excessive dryness. Plus, healthy hydrated skin helps prevent infections and minimizes breakouts! Protect your TEWL by applying topical hydrators. At the 3 Moons Studio, I recommend for my clients (and use personally) R.D. Alchemy's Hydrating Serum. Clients love the noticeable results! Occlusive and moisturizing products like the Natural Necessities Moisturizing Skin Serum and the R.D. Alchemy Intense Hydration Moisturizer also aid in keeping moisture locked into the skin for a healthy glow. (Click hyperlinks to learn more about the products and purchasing)
Tip #4 - Use mineral-based sunscreen
Natural and mineral-based sunscreens are truly the best protection you can offer your skin. Sunscreen is a non-negotiable everyday habit. Even if the day is mostly spent inside, we still get harmful sun exposure every time we walk to the car, drive down the street (windows don't protect your skin!), or are enjoying a short walk. That minimal sun exposure adds up over months and years, and your skin needs extra protection, no matter how short the exposure. Mineral-based sunscreens shield your skin naturally and don't deposit toxic chemicals like xenoestrogens, which have been blamed for a wide range of hormone-related health problems including cancer. I stand by the two mineral sunscreens from R.D Alchemy, with one having the added benefit of brightening vitamin C. I like to use the Badger line of body sun protection which I pick up at my local natural grocery, Health Nut Nutrition.
Tip #5 - Move Easy
I can find it hard to move in the hot months, especially if I don't get out first thing in the morning. I just want to be lazy by the water and lose myself in a fun summer novel! However, finding easy fluid activity makes my day and motivates me, and helps me to actively relax. It invites me to be in the moment. Even when Pitta's perfectionism quality pings at me relentlessly screaming, "we don't have time to be in the moment, gotta get ALL the things done!" I hail the Ayurveda wisdom and hush that pushy pitta energy with easy movement to quiet the controlling nature and remind me that there is such thing as fun! Easy moving for me is fluid yoga postures such as cat & cow postures, melting heart pose, and reclined hand-to-big-toe pose. I also walk in the early morning or on cooler evenings and enjoy playful movement by trying to master some poi moves (full disclosure, I am NOT AT ALL as skilled as the pro in that link! I still have fun). I also love to start my day by dancing! A good morning dance is the perfect gentle cardio and gets my body moving with ease.
The short and sweet of it:
Feed yourself this summer with the abundant fruits and veggies of the season, soothe the body and skin by staying hydrated internally and externally, protect your vital first line of defense (the skin!) with natural sunscreen, and move with ease as you go out into this season of play!
Is your skin thirsty? Looking for a dewy soft summer glow? Book a Hydrating Facial!
PINEAPPLE CHIA PUDDING from the 3 Moons Holistic recipe archive
Serves 2
Prep is a few minutes
Pudding sets overnight
INGREDIENTS
1/4 c. chia seeds
pinch ground fennel
pinch ground coriander
pinch dried mint
pinch dried dill
1/8 tsp. ground turmeric
1/2 tsp. maple syrup
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup fresh cubed pineapple
toasted coconut for topping
1. Mix dried herbs and turmeric together in a small bowl, pinching large or small portions, depending on what flavors you want to shine through. Set aside.
2. In a mason jar or bowl with a lid, pour in coconut milk, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Mix in dried herbs. Sprinkle chia seeds on top and stir until chia floats evenly throughout and there are no clumps. Place lid on jar or bowl and let sit overnight in the fridge.
3. In the morning, toss the pineapple in a skillet over medium heat, cooking until warmed through. Stir in chia pudding and cook just enough to take the chill off.
4. Remove from heat and pour into a bowl, top with toasted coconut flakes.
