With another excessive heat warning for St. George today, I thought I’d focus on ways to beat the heat while still moving toward healthier living.
Excessive heat presents a number of problems for those of us working on healthier living. First, let’s be honest. My immediate impulse when the temperature breaks into triple digits is to go buy the biggest snow cone, slushy, Icey, iced vanilla latte, whatever I can find and sit in front of a fan in nothing but my birthday suit. Not healthier or something anyone would want to see. Fortunately there are plenty of healthy foods and treats to keep you cool. Fresh chilled fruit is always a smart choice, and smoothies can be a smart choice if you take the time to read through the ingredients. Instead of getting the one with ice cream in it, go for the one that has nothing but fruit and 100 percent fruit juice in it.
This is also a good point to repeat the oft uttered warning about fruit juices. While they tend to be one of the first things we reach for when working on healthier living, most fruit juices are so full of sugar to have any real health value. Still, with a little research there are plenty of juices available without all of the extra sugar.
The folks at Twisted Noodle Café know how to help keep us all cool and healthy. One of today’s lunch specials, which I had to try, was a watermelon and peach salad. Chunks of watermelon and huge slices of peach mixed with spinach, lettuce, cashews, and grilled chicken, topped with a healthy strawberry vinaigrette, is one hell of a way to cool down from our St. George summer. That one salad put more healthy food into my system than I would have gotten from a week worth of lunches before I started moving toward healthier living. And it seems Twisted Noodle Café is always finding a way to work fresh fruit into their specials. Tomorrow’s mystery fruit, which they have out on display for you to guess its name, I’m told is a particularly tasty treat.
My last tip for healthier living in a heat wave, is to stay hydrated and moderate your outdoor activity. Several years ago I decided to take a nice little July run without checking out the temperature first and nearly ended up in the hospital. Always check the temperature before you head out on one of our beautiful Southern Utah trails. If it’s up too high, consider moving your workout indoors. If you plan on going out despite the heat, be sure and pack plenty of extra water and always let someone know where you’re headed. Be smart. Be healthy. And keep taking those little steps toward healthier living.
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