Welcome to Summer!

It's summertime (tomorrow's the official first day of summer!!) and the livin's easy...as they say.  Truth be told, summer can be tough!  It's busy with trying to juggle work, professional conferences, vacations and so much more.  If you're the parent of school-age children, you have their time to manage on top of everything else, since they're probably home from school.  Finding balance in everything can be a challenge and it's easy to fall out of your healthy lifestyle and routine.  Here are three tips to keeping it together when it feels like it might fall apart:

1. Focus on the 80/20 rule.  Eat really nutritious, delicious and healthy foods 80% of the time and don't worry about splurges and convenience foods the other 20.  Be mindful about your choices, but give yourself a little grace in the margin.
2. Take advantage of the abundant fresh fruits and vegetables!  This is the time of the year when it seems like almost everything is in-season, so prices are down and quality is up.  Keep fresh fruit available on the counter, keep the crisper full, and plan meals around the colorful fresh foods you find in farmers markets and supermarkets alike.
3. Stay hydrated.  Drink plenty of water and other non-caffeine, low or no-calorie beverages.  I'm not a soda drinker (even though I used to love Diet Coke) for a variety of reasons and recommend focusing on water first, then naturally flavored waters (think lemon, lime, orange or cucumber slices, strawberries, frozen grapes and blueberries), followed by herbal and decaf teas.  Thirst can often be confused with hunger and many people eat when they should really drink water instead.  Stay ahead of your thirst by keeping a bottle of water nearby.

 Stay the course!  Take care of yourself while you're busy taking care of everything - and every one - else.  Be healthy!