Ep. 89 - Setting Your Summer Intention: How to Fuel, Move, and Plan Your Best Season Yet!

Winter was long, spring didn't quite spring, but summer is finally right around the corner! In this episode, host Keila Aldea is shifting into full "summer vibe" mode and sharing four simple, practical habits to help you enter the new season feeling energetic, bright, and deeply aligned.

While these healthy habits might sound familiar, consider this your gentle, loving reminder that taking care of yourself is the ultimate form of self-care. If you are ready to ditch the guilt, make yourself a priority, and stop pouring from an empty cup, this episode is exactly what you need to kick off a vibrant season.

In this episode, Keila breaks down:

• Hydration hacks: Why staying hydrated prevents the dreaded summer energy crash, and fun, creative ways to jazz up your water (including Kayla's secret weapon for headaches!).
• Eating with the season: How to experiment with refreshing, high-water-content summer fruits and veggies, and fun weekend ideas like visiting local farmers' markets or going fruit picking.
• Moving your body outdoors: Swapping the indoor workouts for joyful movement in nature—from morning beach walks to hiking near waterfalls.
• Creating a "Summer Joy List": How to be intentional and plan ahead so you don’t hit the end of August wishing you had done the things you love.

Grab your favorite water bottle, infuse it with some fresh lemon or coconut water, and get ready to be inspired, motivated, and equipped to truly thrive this summer!

Connect with Keila: If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend who needs a little reminder to choose themselves this week. Remember, you can heal from all that life has thrown at you—you are capable of evolving into your healthiest, happiest version!

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Transcript

Welcome And The Healing Mission

SPEAKER_00 0:09

Hello and welcome to the She Can Heal Podcast, a podcast aimed at helping women heal and thrive emotionally, physically, and spiritually. I am your host, Kayla Eldea. I'm a licensed therapist and a self-care advocate that is passionate about helping women take back their power and help them realize they're important, worthy, and deserve the care and attention they give to those they love most in their lives. This show is meant to help inspire you on your healing journey, no matter if you're in the discovery phase and are just realizing that you have unhealed wounds, habits, and mindsets that are keeping you stuck in your life, or you've been on this journey for a while and are looking for inspiration, encouragement, andor new tools to help you continue on your healing journey. My goal is to help you realize that you can heal from all that life has thrown at you and are capable of evolving into your healthiest and happiest version. On this show, I will provide you with resources, tools, and insights to help you heal and thrive emotionally, physically, and spiritually because you deserve all of that. So if you're ready to ditch the guilt and make yourself a priority, then you're in the right place. Because the truth is that you can't pour from an empty cup, even though most of us do this on a regular, and we really need to stop that nonsense. So get ready to be inspired, motivated, and equipped to truly thrive. Hello and welcome back to another episode on the She

Setting The Summer Intention

SPEAKER_00 1:32

Can Heal Podcast. Thank you so much for joining me today. And today's episode is just a nice little reminder for us as we start going into summer. Because I don't know about you, but we've had a rough long winter, and spring has not been springing over here. So I'm so excited for summer. The days have definitely gotten warmer, but for some reason it's been so rainy, which is weird because it's not usual what we experience over here. I live in Connecticut, so it's usually pretty. Just when spring comes, the weather just turns really warm. Of course, you're gonna have those days that are cooler, but this winter was rough, this spring has been rough, and so I'm so excited for summer, and I hope that this summer is going to bring some nice weather, and all this rainy weather goes away because I don't want that for the summer. But as I was thinking about summer, I was also thinking like this is a good time to start getting in the summer vibe, right? Start preparing like what I want the summer to look like, feel like, and all of that because I truly want to be my energetic bright self. So in today's conversation, I'm gonna be sharing four ways or habits that you can begin to think about as you begin entering into this summer. Because let's be honest, summer is all about hanging out with friends and family and being outdoors at the beach, at the pool, or just spending time in the sun. So it's so vital that we have the energy and the motivation to do all of that. And the other thing is that what I'm gonna be sharing today is nothing new. You might say to yourself, This is like the normal being healthy stuff. You've talked about this before, but the truth is that we all need like little reminders of how important these habits are, and I'm gonna share why I think they're important to think about as we enter into this new season of fun in the sun. So if you are curious as to what we're gonna be talking about today, then you need to stick around because I'm going to share four. So there's gonna be four different areas that I'm gonna talk about today, so that we can start really thinking about how to get into the summer vibes, how can we start to prepare for summer and all of

Hydration For Energy And Mood

SPEAKER_00 3:50

that? Alright, so the first habit is hydration, and like I told you, nothing new, right? I said these are gonna be habits and things that you probably should be already doing. I'm laughing because you probably thought it was gonna be like these big momentous things, and honestly, it's gonna be a reminder, it's just gonna be a reminder, and yeah, so it's nothing new, but let's think about it for a minute. In summer, it's hot, and not being hydrated or not having the habit of staying hydrated, it will ultimately deplete your energy, you'll be dehydrated, which then causes you things like low energy, headaches, muscle aches, bloating, and the list goes on. And I don't know about you, but I definitely don't want to feel any of that this summer. So instead, being hydrated is gonna help us to have better skin, more focus, more energy, better digestion, and that's gonna help us to have such a better summer. So let's talk about some easy tips to be hydrated this summer. And of course, the number one thing is to make sure you're getting enough water, right? So that is a given, right? Drinking enough water, either half of your body weight in ounces, or if you're not a big drinker, even starting with the required 64 ounces is good enough. Okay, so number one is just making sure you're just getting the liquids into your body enough so that everything feels good, okay. So that is just the bottom line, right? We we just want to have enough water in our body to keep us hydrated, to keep us healthy, to make us feel good. But I know that sometimes just drinking plain water, that's me, is not fun or it's boring, and this is what stops you from drinking water. There are tons of ways that you can drink your water without it being boring, and especially in the summer, there's so many easy and fun ways that you can add flavor to your water. I would say, especially because it's hot, finding fruits, finding flavors that you really connect with that you really enjoy is probably key. Okay, so one of the ways that you can make drinking your water so much more enjoyable is number one is adding fruit to your water. This is such a great way to make your water taste really good. Sometimes it could be just as simple as just adding a few slices of lemon, lime, mince, or any other herbs, and it just makes it taste really good. You can also infuse your fruit in your water, such as like make a big mason jar, fill it with water, add whatever fruits you enjoy, strawberries, oranges, watermelon, or any type of fruit, and let it sit overnight. And in the morning, you have a yummy tasting water infused with the fruits that you really enjoy. That could be a really good one. Um, they also sell flavor enhancers. My favorite is Mio. They come in these small little bottles, and you can just squirt it into your water to give it some flavor, and they have some really great flavors. I've been drinking this for a while, and this definitely helps me. And you can also drink seltzers, they come in all sorts of flavors that you can make drinking more enjoyable, and you can also make a do a combination of all of these. I've seen this on social media all the time, and people get really creative with their water. I've seen someone have a big jug of water and they add all different types of things, they'll add, of course, water, they might add coconut water to it, they'll add sometimes one person that I see he takes different fruits and he blends them together, and then he pours it into the water, but he strains out the fruit, so he just gets the juice of the fruit in there, and then he'll add sometimes he'll add seltzer to give it a little fist. So there's like so many different fun ways that you can create these drinks and get your fluids in for the day. Also, think about getting electrolytes as well because we're gonna be sweating a lot this summer, and the best way that I get my electrolytes is by drinking coconut water because it has potassium, magnesium, it has everything that you need to help you have better blood flow, help your muscles feel better. Coconut water, and you have to be careful. I mean, you have to pick a brand that is natural, make sure that in the ingredients it just says coconut water and it doesn't have all these other ingredients so that you can get something that's more natural and not filled with so much sugar. You can also buy electrolyte drinks again, just be careful with the sugar content. There are a lot of really good companies out there that have electrolyte drinks, like the powders that you can just throw into your drink, or sometimes it could be as simple as just getting putting some sea salt into your water and adding maybe some lemon into it, and that is enough to have some electrolytes, but it's really important just so that when you are rehydrating yourself, you're actually adding the potassium, the magnesium, the things that your muscles need. If you want to learn more about electrolytes, I would suggest looking it up. Sometimes I'm not the best at describing it. I watch tons of videos, listen to a lot of people, so it's definitely something that I know helps. And coconut water has become one of my go-tos. I keep it all the time. I buy a big pack at Sam's Club and I have it with me. I have it every single morning, and it's definitely a staple when I went on vacation. I made sure that I bought some as well. And there was one time where I had some really bad headaches due to my menstrual cycle, and I just went online and put in the search bar can coconut water really help with headaches? And basically, it said that coconut water absolutely helps because it helps to let your blood flow and like your blood vessels expand and let the blood flow so much easier. And I because I was taking Advil and just wasn't working, it just I still had this headache. And after drinking a bottle of electro, not electrolyte, coconut water, my headache went away, which is amazing. So if you're ever looking for a natural way to get rid of headaches, I would say try coconut water. And another way that you can get fluids into your body is by eating fruit that is high in water content: watermelons, cantaloupe, and all those types of lemons, citruses, like oranges and limes and berries, and so much more, because these fruits have between 80 to 90 percent water, so you can enjoy some delicious fruits, and they are going to also help you to stay hydrated this summer. Okay, so that is number one is just being hydrated. I gave you some tips, but I'm sure if you go online, if you go on AI or any other thing, I'm sure you can find a lot more tips and tricks on how to get more water into your diet. But honestly, the number one thing is just don't make it complicated, be as simple as you can. I'm gonna tell you for me, what I usually do is I combine coconut water with water, I add some either meal or I add some lemon. I literally that's what I do in the mornings, or I'll put it in my water bottle, and honestly, it doesn't have to be that hard. But the whole idea is we need to be hydrated this summer because we want to feel our best, we want to feel energetic, we want to feel good, we don't want to have headaches or none of that, and so it's just reminding yourself of I want to be hydrated, I want to take care of myself. And remember, like I always say, it's all about intention, it's all about saying in the morning, I need to get my 64 ounces of water, and it's when you go grocery shopping, I'm gonna buy myself some lemons, I'm gonna buy myself some oranges, and I'm just gonna infuse them in my water, and I'm gonna step on that all day, and I'm gonna get the benefits from that. Or I'm gonna go ahead and buy some coconut water and I'm going to look up some coconut water recipes that I can add into my day so that I can get hydrated and also get my electrolytes. So there's so many different ways you can get creative with this. Alright, so we're moving on to habit number two.

Eat More Summer Fruits And Veggies

SPEAKER_00 12:10

And in order to have a good summer and just again feel our best, this summer is a great time to eat more fruits and vegetables. Why? Because the benefits are endless, and the summer is such a good time to experiment, to try new fruits, try new veggies, to try new recipes that are in season. I know for some people, the summertime is the perfect time that they get more fruits in because again, it's gonna be hot, and the best way is to get fruits because they're cooler, they refresh you, they hydrate you. But I would say incorporate fruits that you really enjoy and that are in season. For example, like making fruit salads and eating them with your meals, you can and get creative, such as coming up with different summer salads that you can incorporate with different veggies. Again, it's all about just incorporating more fruits, more vegetables because, again, it's about hydrating yourself, it's about experimenting, it's having fun with food that are going to make you feel good. Another thing you could do is make fruit smoothies in the mornings or in any part of your day to incorporate a delicious cold drink to your day. I'm sure that you can find some really great recipes. I love smoothies, I think they're really refreshing, and depending on what you add to them, can be really good. So, fruit smoothies are good. Overall, it's just incorporating delicious fruits and vegetables into your meals can be such a great way to feel better physically, to try new fruits and vegetables. You could incorporate this into like activities such as visit farmers' markets because this is the time when farmers markets are out, so you can get actually like naturally grown fruits and veggies, and you're also supporting a small farm, which is really cool to do. You can also go fruit picking. This is a great time to go picking for fruit such as strawberries, peaches. You just have to see what's in season, it's always fun. I haven't done that in a while, and it's definitely something that I want to look into this summer with my grandson, and it's actually a fun activity to do with your family, especially the kiddos.

Move Your Body Outdoors

SPEAKER_00 14:18

All right, and so the next habit is moving your body again, nothing special, right? But this summer, especially beautiful sunny days, it could be so much fun and enjoyable to be active outside. So we should be moving our bodies, we should be exercising, but now that we're in the summer, you can find so many great activities to become more active, to spend more time outdoors, and it's all about again just like finding activities that you truly enjoy doing. I'm sure that if you're a beach person, if you're a hiking person, a local park person, there's just so many ways. But here's some ideas. The summertime is I'm the most active in the summer and spring because I am outdoors all the time. So one of the best ways you can do is going for a morning or an evening walk. This is one of the easiest ways you can become active, and I say in the morning or evening, because usually in the summer, in the middle of the day is when it's the hottest. Um, so waking up early, going for a nice morning walk can be a great thing to incorporate this summer. I would say, I guess it all depends on what you like to do, right? So going for bike rides at your local park or trail, going for hikes, going swimming in the ocean or at a local pool, playing with friends to go for a Saturday morning walk on the beach or meet up at a bike trail or even go for a morning walk, then go out for breakfast at a local favorite spot. The goal is to be active, to enjoy the outdoors, and if you're taking the first two tips and you're gonna have more energy, you're gonna feel better to do all the fun outdoor activities. And I know that depending where you live, I live in New England, and there's so many beautiful places to visit. I love animals, so I also love going to visit different zoos. I love waterfalls, so hiking and looking for waterfalls is always fun, and just finding places that you can eat outdoors, parks that you can go and have a picnic, like there's so many fun ways, and it all depends on your lifestyle. If you have kids, it's really finding fun places that you can enjoy with your kids, enjoy with your friends. Again, it's all about being active, finding fun ways to be active. Sometimes it could be depending on what you enjoy doing. Maybe it's doing a yoga class outside. Sometimes in the summer, they offer free classes, sometimes it's just going for friends and going for a nice hike up to like a waterfall. I mean, there's so many different ways, but the whole idea is listen, we want to be hydrated, we want to be eating well, we want to be moving our body so we can have a great summer, right? We want to be able to have energy, we want to be able to just feel good being in the sun. And these are the tips that I would totally recommend in doing because I'm definitely gonna be practicing these habits this summer. All right, so let's move on to the last one, which is all right, so we we talked about how to care for ourselves this summer so we can have the most energy and just be vibrant and bright and have all the fun that we need to have.

Create A Summer Joy List

SPEAKER_00 17:20

And then the last one is something that is definitely something I've always thought about doing, but I haven't really done yet, and it's to be to create a summer fun list or a summer joy list, whatever you want to call it. And what that just means is make a list of all the things that you want to do this summer. Because if you think about it, every single summer we always say we're gonna do, I know this happens to me, and I know I'm like can't be the only one where I say, Oh, I want to do this and I want to do this and I want to do this, but then I never plan it, I'm never really intentional with it, and then before I know it, it's like the end of August, and then I feel upset because I didn't get to do a lot of the things that I wanted to do, right? Because you have to be planful in life. In life, you have to be planful because things happen and time goes really fast. And so it's a good idea for us to really like think uh now making a list that actually sets the intention that you can spend time ahead of time looking for new beaches or new parks or places you want to visit this summer. For example, have you ever wanted to visit a specific beautiful park, lake, or even go to an amusement park, but you don't plan it and it hasn't happened. Well, this is the time to do the planning, or even just to write down some fun activities you want to do so that you'll be more likely to do it. Or, I mean, social media has become such a great place for us to find local spots right where we live at that we don't even know about. I know that I've discovered so many different restaurants and things like that. So I'm sure I'm gonna go on probably like TikTok is the best place that I've found and just look for parks and look for activities that we can do. I would also say like look at your local directories online and see what are festivals that are coming, what are different activities that are coming to your location, right? So, like different festivals, food festivals, kid festivals, so that you cannot miss out on those activities and those um festivities this summer. So it might be again, it's just really like making some time to go online on social media, wherever it is, and just look up things in your neighborhood, in your area that you can do. For example, I might be even like planning things that you want to do. For example, if you've always wanted to go for a picnic at your favorite park, literally that could be something that you add to the list. It could be something that you plan with a friend, it could be something you do on your own, right? You maybe you want to just go to your favorite park, bring a picnic, bring a blanket, and whatever you enjoy doing, if that's a good book, a sketch pad, or even a craft. I've seen people do this all the time, and just enjoy your time outside in the beautiful weather. Or look up a long weekend, such as the 4th of July weekend, and plan something fun instead of just letting it creep up on you and then you have nothing planned, or even planning that fun barbecue day with your friends or family with some fun yard games or other fun activities, or maybe it's planning a road trip, right? A weekend road trip that you can do with your kids, your family to visit some place that you've always wanted to go. Sometimes we have things that are within driving distance that we can just drive to in one to two hours and be in a really beautiful place. And again, if we plan it ahead of time, we can do it, we can complete do it, and we don't end up being at the end of the summer, and we're like, hello, I didn't get to do that thing, and I'm really upset at myself. So I'm just here to remind you that you can create the summer that you truly want, you can feel good, you can feel energized, you can do all the things, but it all takes intention, it all takes planning. This is a reminder for all of us. I mean, for me, I did this because it's I just been thinking about this myself, and I thought, why not share it with you so that I can also inspire you, remind you of ways that you can have a great summer. If you feel like, you know what, these a lot of these tips are great, but they're not for me, that's fine. Or maybe you're already doing good with hydration and you're already doing good with your diet, which is fine too. Maybe it's the last one and you remind yourself, you know what, that's such a great idea because it's true. Before I know it, it's the end of the summer, or sometimes I'm just like the weekend is here and I have nothing planned and I don't want to waste time. So sometimes just that little reminder that you know what, the summer is here, but if I can plan some things, if I can get together with my family and we can talk about things we want to do this summer, we can make it happen and have a better summer versus just trying to do things last minute or running out of time and not getting the chance to do the things that we wanted to do this summer.

Quick Recap And Final Encouragement

SPEAKER_00 22:02

So I hope that this was helpful to you. And just as a wrap-up, number one is the habit of just being hydrated. And honestly, it's all about just finding fun ways to get your hydration in. Two is just incorporating more summer foods into your diet so that you can enjoy summer recipes and just have fun with it. Number three is finding fun ways to just stay active this summer, doing things that you truly enjoy, either visiting different parks, trails, finding outdoor activities, whatever it is for you, just reminding yourself that there's so many ways that we can become active, especially in this summer. And then the last one is creating that summer fun list, creating a list and preparing for what you want to do this summer ahead of time so that you can truly have these experiences this summer. So by the end of summer, you're not having that FOMO about what you could have done. And I hope that this was helpful to you. Again, I just thought this was something fun that I've been thinking about as I'm getting excited to get ready for summer because winter and spring have not been it. And I thought, why not share it with you so that I can inspire you, remind you, and hopefully it just kind of, you know, just a little help in reminding ourselves that summer is almost here, and we can totally make it a fun summer, especially if we're being planful and intentional.

Share Subscribe Review

SPEAKER_00 23:30

Okay, that is all for today's episode. I hope this episode was helpful to you. I hope that it inspired you as you start entering into your summer months. And please don't forget to share this episode with anyone that you know that really needs this information, needs that little inspiration or that little reminder. Okay, I will talk to you again next week. Take care. Thank you so much for joining this conversation today. I hope this episode was helpful to you on your healing journey. Don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode packed with valuable tips and insights designed to empower you. If you found value in this episode, I'd be so grateful if you left me a review wherever you're listening from and share your thoughts and feedback. This really helps me to reach more women just like you. Thanks for listening.