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Summer is definitely my favorite time of year. Living in Texas it does get blazing hot, but there is still plenty to love! Sundresses, summer fruit, iced coffee... I could go on! I've mentioned in previous posts I've been making a conscious effort to live in more harmony with the seasons so now that summer is here it's only appropriate I make a few changes to my routine to be my best and make the most of all the season has to offer. It's a work in progress, but here are a few key things in my daily routine I'm in the process of switching up.

Getting creative with staying hydrated

So the concept of staying hydrated is definitely not groundbreaking, but is obviously super important. During the summer even more so when you're sweating more and spending plenty of time in the sun. Staying hydrated can be a challenge for me because although I know you're supposed to get half of your body weight in ounces I'll get busy and forget to take water breaks or other times I just get bored with plain old water. Fortunately you don't necessarily have to 100% of your intake from plain water, so I've been mixing it up to help me stay on course. Recently I'm loving herbal iced teas, lots of fresh fruit, and infused "spa water". Herbal teas are going to be better than regular tea because they're caffeine-free. (Caffeine is a diuretic so you'll be running to the bathroom and in turn having to drink even more water to keep up.) Hibiscus is my favorite herbal option right now so I bought a huge bag of organic hibiscus leaves on Amazon. I like mine with a little raw honey and lime juice. For fruit, I've been loading up on melons and berries because they have some of the highest water content. Lastly, well all else fails I throw some fresh herbs, lemons, and berries in to make infused water. My favorite combos are raspberries, lime, and mint or strawberries, lemon, and basil. Using fresh herbs or even spices like cinnamon sticks help keep it interesting. You don't need an infuser for this but if you wanted this glass one is really pretty.

Updating my beauty regimen

I get really oily in the summer and like most people am spending more time outdoors. For those reasons I add a mattifying primer to my make up routine and start carrying a sunscreen stick in my purse. I don't love the primer I'm using now, so I have my eye on this one from 100% pure. I've also been using the sunscreen stick from Bare Republic for extra protection when I'm not wearing makeup with SPF for my face and upper body. I like that it's small and easy to apply on the areas I burn most often: my forehead, nose, shoulders, and collarbone.

Incorporating some new oil blends

I love my oils year round and summer is no exception! For the summer I always have the following on hand from DoTerra:

Peppermint: It's cooling and mosquitos don't like it

Doterra Terrashield Bug Spray: Although the smell is very strong and herbaceous it's nontoxic and not sticky like some bug sprays. It withstood the Costa Rican rainforest this past spring, so it's a winner for me!

Lavender: It's my favorite to soothe skin irritation like bug bites and sunburns. If I get a mosquito bite I use my Lavender Touch roll-on to help with the itching and redness because it's pre-diluted and ready for quick use directly on the skin.

Lime, Bergamot, Grapefruit and Basil: Citrus and fresh herbs remind me of summer so I love adding these into the diffuser rotation. (I'll be doing a post about my favorite summer diffuser recipes so stay tuned for that!)

*I'm a DoTerra Essential Oils Wellness Advocate so you can shop these oils on my site. Although I use DoTerra most often you can also buy quality oils on Mountain Rose Herbs and Plant Therapy.

Gearing Up to Work Harder

If you read my posts at the beginning of this year about my intentions for 2018 you might know that I started the beginning of the year off really slow. I felt I needed time to ease into the year and listen to my intuition. Taking that approach definitely paid off, and I feel very grounded this year and my stress levels are way lower. Taking that time to listen, plan, and reflect has allowed me to get clearer on my direction and so many opportunities are beginning to take off for me this spring and now summer. Because I didn't start the year off pushing myself to the limit I feel like I have the capacity needed to use these long summer days to get lots of work done and dedicate more time to projects I feel great about. I've been following the rhythm of this season and starting the mornings a tad bit later with the sunrise and working enjoying the later sunset whether it's working or making time to get outdoors to "play" a little longer.

Taking Advantage of Seasonal Produce

Going along with living in harmony with the seasons, summer is the perfect time to make the most of farmers market trips and get the best of seasonal fruits and veggies like berries, tomatoes, fresh corn and herbs. I like to focus on making more simple, cooling foods so one of my favorite weeknight meals is kale + quinoa salad with a protein and fresh seasonal produce. You can get pretty creative but some of my favorite combos are roasted corn and tomatoes or berries and avocados. Avocado oil, lemon or lime, and a little salt and pepper make a really good but simple dressing.