1. Ingest Goodness, Eschew Bad Elements

One of the most salient aspects of good health is nutrition. If you want your body to look and perform to its maximum capabilities, you need to give it the right kind of fuel to do so. You need your carbs, fats, proteins and calories, but you shouldn't be collecting them all at the local fast food joint. That version will slow you down, strip you of your energy and make you look tired, too.

Instead, enact a diet that is rich in fruits and vegetables, beans and nuts. Some of the best foods for maintaining your energy are oatmeal, yogurt, beans, lentils, bananas and sesame seeds. You'll find that maintaining your energy through these types of beneficial foods is much easier than forgetting to eat and then wolfing down a fast food meal.

Drink water instead of soda. Hydration is critical to your health. These are some of the benefits of keeping yourself hydrated:

• Keeps organs functioning properly

• Keeps joints lubricated

• Delivers nutrients to cells

• Regulates body temperature

• Prevents infections

Hydration is important when you're working out, too. It helps to replace the fluids that you lose from sweating. It also helps to maintain normal body function and reduces the risk of heat stress.

Eating the right foods is as important as avoiding elements that your body cannot tolerate, which include alcohol, cigarettes and vaping products. Each of these things has the effect of rotting you from the inside out. They will leave you tired and winded, and those are only the short-term effects.

2. Be Kinesthetically Competitive

Being competitive doesn't mean screaming at the refs at a little league game. It means challenging yourself or folks you know in a good-natured kinesthetic contest of some sort, designed to help stay fit. The fun part is that you set the parameters every which way, from the activities to the prizes.

Suppose you have a late-summer wedding to attend, and you want to be able to slip back into that old tuxedo. You could lose weight easily by creating bars to get over and challenges to meet. That could be jogging three miles every day or hitting the disc golf course several times a week with your friends. Maybe you live near a house that's getting a pool installed, and you have a benchmark to meet before the pools builders in Austin finish that job.

The point of whatever competition you invest in is that it's at once helping you to have a healthy summer while actively enjoying yourself. There's no need to run marathons every morning and triathlons on the weekends unless that's how you enjoy pushing yourself. As long as you consistently engage in the activities you choose, however moderate, you'll be making choices to maintain your health.

3. Get Your Rest

Sleep is as important for your physical health as it is for your mental health. It improves your brain performance, mood and overall general well-being. Not getting enough sleep can lead to greater risk of diseases, like heart disease and obesity.

When you sleep, your body uses the time to engage in recovery processes. A good rest promotes better physical and mental performance while a bad rest hinders them. Adults should aim for seven or eight hours of sleep per night. Napping can be effective during the day, as long as you're taking quick catnaps.

Keeping yourself fit is key to having a great summer. When you look good and feel good, you're more apt to enjoy whatever it is you're doing. The physical and mental health aspects of your body will be operating in unison, at peak performance.

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