Turn Up the Heat — and the Fourth Fun!
It’s hot out there, so if you’re enjoying outdoor activities, be sure to pace yourself. Whether you’re enjoying a trip to the beach or a walk around the block, be sure to drink enough water and apply sunscreen. It’s important to be safe out there!
Here are some tips for how you can enjoy the steamy month of July, from celebrating Independence Day to a natural remedy for soothing sunburns.
Exercise of the Month: Balance
It’s important to improve your balance because, for one, it can help you avoid a fall. If you do some simple exercises, you can build your balance. Try these:
- Single Limb Stance — Stand behind a chair and hold the back of it. Lift your right foot and balance on your left foot. Hold the position and then switch feet.
- Walking Heel to Toe — Put your right foot in front of your left so that your right heel touches your left toes. Move your left foot in front of your right and put your weight on your heel. Shift your weight to your toes then repeat for 20 steps.
- Rock the Boat — Stand with your feet apart and transfer weight to your right foot. Lift your left leg and hold for up to 30 seconds. Put your foot on the ground, transfer weight to that foot and repeat with your opposite leg.
- Clock Reach — Hold a chair with your left hand. Lift your right leg and extend your right arm as if you were pointing to the number 12 on a clock. Move your arm to the three o’clock position, then to six o’clock. Bring it back to three, then 12. Repeat two times on both sides of your body.
- Back Leg Raises — Stand behind a chair and lift your right leg back, keeping it straight. Hold for a second, then bring your leg down. Repeat the motion 10 to 15 times for each leg.
- Single Limb Stance with Arm — With your feet together and arms at your side, lift your left hand over your head. Raise your left foot off the floor. Hold the position for 10 seconds and repeat on your other side. Keep a chair beside you in case you need to steady your balance.
- Side Leg Raise — Stand behind a chair with feet slightly apart. Lift your right leg to the side and then lower it. Repeat 15 times for each leg.
- Balancing Wand — Get a cane or stick and sit down. Hold the bottom of the stick so it’s flat in your palm. Keep the stick upright for as long as possible and then change hands.
- Wall Pushups — Stand an arm’s length away from a wall. Put your palms on the wall and bring your body toward the wall. Then push yourself back so your arms are straight. Repeat the exercise 20 times.
- Marching in Place — Lift your right knee up, then lower it. Lift your left leg, then lower it. Lift and lower both legs 20 times.
- Toe Lifts — Using a chair, put your arms in front of you on the chair and raise up onto your toes. Lower yourself. Repeat 20 times.
- Shoulder Rolls — Rotate your shoulders up, back and down. Then roll them up, forward and down.
- Hand and Finger Exercises — Sit down and pretend there’s a wall in front of you. “Climb” the wall with your fingers until they’re above your head. Wiggle your fingers for 10 seconds then walk them back down. For another exercise, try touching your hands while they’re behind your back and holding the position for 10 seconds. Reach for your left hand while your right hand is behind your back then repeat with the opposite hand.
- Calf Stretches — Face a wall and put your hands on the wall at eye level. Put your left leg behind your right leg. Keep your heel on the ground and bend your right knee. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds. Repeat two to four times for each leg. To stretch your calves while sitting down, get a towel and sit on the ground with your legs straight. Put the towel around your right foot and hold both ends. Pull the towel toward you and hold for 15 to 30 seconds. Repeat two to four times per leg.
Click here for more information and illustrations of each of these exercises.
Fun Fourth of July Cocktails
The Fourth of July is a great opportunity to try an exciting new cocktail. These skinny cocktails have fewer calories than your average cocktail, so pick your favorite and give it a go!
SkinnyTini’s Pina Colada
- 1 1/2 oz white rum
- 1 oz light coconut milk
- 1/2 oz pineapple juice
- 1/2 oz sugar-free coconut syrup
- 1/2 – 1 cup of ice
Add the ingredients to a blender. Mix on high for a minute. Pour into a glass and garnish with a fresh pineapple slice.
Tequila Bramble
- 5 blackberries
- 3/4 oz fresh lime juice
- Crushed ice
- 1/2 oz agave nectar
- 1/2 ounce crème de mure (blackberry-flavored liqueur)
- 1 1/2 ounces blanco tequila
Muddle the blackberries with lime juice. Fill a glass with crushed ice and add the remaining ingredients. Stir to combine. Serve with a straw and garnish with fresh fruit.
For more low-calorie cocktail ideas, read this article from Eat, Drink and Be Skinny along with this article from Health.
Clean Beauty is the Best Beauty
Great news! You can now purchase clean beauty products at BeFit SRQ and on my Beautycounter website. If you’re shopping online, just select “Michele Rose” as your personal consultant when you check out.
This summer (and throughout the year), it’s important to protect your skin from the sun’s harmful rays. But you want your sun protection to be safe, right? Sunscreens are one of the most toxic products on the marketplace. Beautycounter’s sunscreens are mineral-based and the company uses a non-nano zinc oxide as an effective alternative to oxybenzone.
Many sunscreens are sun filters filled with chemicals. Mineral sunscreens are Beautycounter’s preferred sunscreens. With mineral sunscreens, physical particles sit on the surface of the skin and scatter or reflect the sun’s rays away from the skin. These sunscreens are great for people with sensitive skin.
Beautycounter’s sun protection collection has won several awards and mentions from Allure, Beauty Innovator and Forbes. Browse the products in the collection to find one that’s right for your lifestyle and relationship with the sun. You can even use the tinted sunscreen as a tinted moisturizer — now that’s a true double-duty product.
Soothe That Irritating Sunburn
Looking for a natural way to soothe your sunburn? Here’s a recipe for creating a spray that will make your burn feel much better. It uses doTERRA essential oils, including lavender, melaleuca and peppermint.
May the Force Be With You
Laser therapy can help reduce pain and inflammation. It treats both acute and chronic conditions and treatments are fast — usually 5 to 10 minutes. The best part? It treats pain without side effects.
BeFit SRQ now offers LightForce Therapy Laser treatments in the studio. Check out all of the issues this innovative therapy can help with:
Festive Fireworks and More
Watching fireworks on the Fourth of July is such a classic way to spend the day. Sarasota has several events, from fireworks over Sarasota Bay and Siesta Key to fireworks at Nathan Benderson Park and the South Venice Jetty.
It’s that time of year again for the Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix Festival. Enjoy the Boats on the Block party on July 5 on Main Street in downtown Sarasota. Then the powerboat races are off and running on July 7.
Later in July, Nathan Benderson Park will play host to the World Rowing Under 23 Championships. From July 24 to 28, we’ll get a chance to watch world-class athletes compete right here in our backyard.
See you out there enjoying this Sarasota summer!
