Memorial Day Weekend is typically the kickoff to summer. As we look towards the season of sun, things still feel unknown and far from the summer vibes we’re used to. Even without the typical outdoor fun that we’re longing for, there are plenty of things you can do put yourself in a summery mood.

Some of our favorite things include:

Grow through what you go through.  Green up your space!

Warmer weather always brings our gorgeous city back to life. Even if you don’t have an outdoor space of your own, you can enjoy greening up your indoor space by starting a kitchen garden.  Microgreens, salad greens, radishes, carrots, and herbs are just a few options that are fun to grow and extra useful for healthy cooking.

You can also opt for a new (non-edible) houseplant and enjoy the mood boosting impact that plants have within our lives. Surrounding oneself with plants can be helpful in healing, providing increased energy, enhanced focus, and even improving our air quality.

Supplement with Vitamin D

If you’re feeling off from not going outside as much as you normally would during this time of year, you may be lacking a little Vitamin D.  Vitamin D is an essential marker of health, providing support for immune function, bone health, and cardiovascular health. On our online shop, we have our Vitamin D3 with K2 available for purchase. Our blend is uniquely formulated to support healthy production and regulation of vitamin D. Working with K2, Vitamin D can be activated so your body can properly absorb and store calcium.

Walk it off

Nature is restorative – especially in the summer. Even a little jaunt around your neighborhood can do wonders for your mindset. Plus you’ll give yourself some much needed endorphins. Just be sure to follow current city guidelines and social distancing, accordingly. To connect more to the nature that surrounds you, soak it in by taking photos of local birds or plants for your own research (or at least a cool google search). You could even share the beauty by starting your own local nature insta-photo challenge with friends.

Make a summer song playlist

The sounds of summer typically include a host of memorable songs. Add songs you personally love. Add throwback songs that remind you of summers of past. Anything that makes you feel good, add it! Whenever the mood calls for it, put on your fave summer gear and throw yourself a mini dance party.

Take your meditation outdoors

Meditation is transformative and mentally transportive. Taking a meditation session within the open air can breathe new life into your day. You don’t have to be an experienced guru to enjoy the health benefits of an outdoor meditation. The next time you are outdoors simply take a moment to pause your thoughts and focus on one particular sound occurring around you. You might start to then notice layers of other sounds. Meanwhile, you should notice that you have found an instance stillness with any other thoughts. This approach, simply called mindful listening, can be embraced year-round but you may find it extra enjoyable with summer sounds.

Boost your mood with new types of exercise

It’s always fun to try something different with a new season and working up a sweat goes hand in hand with summer weather. Support a local studio by taking a new online class – and if you can, take it outside. Rock your old rollerblades. Grab a jump rope. Perfect your hula hooping skills. Simply get your move on. Exercise is a known way to boost your mood and a positive way to break up all the extra screen time we’ve been engaged in.

Eat the Rainbow

Another great way to bring summer into your home is by creating a perfectly summery dish. Instead of relegating yourself to the barbecue basics like hot dogs or hamburgers, try something new. Plant-based options are surging in popularity for not just health reasons – they’ve gotten pretty tasty! Some of our favorite plant-based proteins include: chickpeas, edamame, chia seeds, and quinoa.

The summer is a great time to eat in color! Try at least two different colors of fruit and three colors of veggies every day. Including color in your diet can help you get enough fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, and help protect against illness, bone density loss, digestive problems, and support weight management.

Enjoy a summery mocktail

Chicago’s celebratory summer scene is going to be quieter this year, which actually makes for a nice time to give your body a reset. Mocktails are a great way to bring a summery feel into your week, while trying new recipes and ingredients. Some refreshing flavors we like to go for that will remind you of summer are: cucumber, watermelon, lemon, lime, ginger, and cherry! You can get some of our favorite mocktail recipes here.

Even without the barbecues, pool parties, and concerts, we’re still sending a toast of cheers and a wave of positivity your way.  If anything is causing you physical or emotional pain, we are here for you. We are taking in-clinic appointments for chiropractic and acupuncture. We are also meeting our Functional Medicine patients with telemedicine and have telehealth available for chiropractic and acupuncture patients who are unable to make into our clinics.

Connect with our team to take control of your health today!

Schedule

Please fill out the form to request an appointment at our health and wellness center for the service and location of your preference. We try to get back to all requests as quickly as possible. If you need immediate assistance, please call 773-598-4387.

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Your safety comes first: we are operating with heightened safety measures in our clinics and offer telemedicine for those unable to visit in person.

   
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