Summer Ready: A body neutral approach to the sunny season

I have always been a summer girl. Not necessarily by nature, but a love of this season was nurtured into me as a young girl through the activities of my parents.

Although we did partake in occasional winter activities like tobogganing or ice skating, it was in the spring and summer months that my best memories were made.

From playing outside with neighbourhood friends, riding my bike, and walking or rollerblading with my dog, to camping, hiking, and helping my parents in the garden, when the sun was shining, I was living my best life. On summer mornings, I’d get out of bed and sneak onto our back porch in my PJs to feel the summer air and sunshine on my skin, using my internal weather sensors to help me decide what to wear that day.

Back then, summer was so simple. School was out, the sun was shining, and I was young and unburdened… sunburns my biggest concern. But somewhere along the road to adulthood, summer got complicated.

Of course, adulthood comes with expected complications—more responsibility, less free time—but it was more than that. The closer I inched toward adulthood, the more attention on my body seemed to come along with summer weather and wardrobe.

Attention from men and boys, both wanted and unwanted. 

Attention from other women, both complimentary and critical. 

And of course, attention in the media—not on my body per se, but on bodies in general—and it only got worse as I aged.

For adults, it seemed summertime wasn’t about being outdoors, playing, moving, and simply enjoying the season. These were now things that had to be earned. And not just because free time is a luxury that not everyone can afford, but because one also needed to have a “summer body.”

Over time, I’ve truly come to resent the idea of a “summer body.” For one thing, the idea that looking a certain kind of way is a prerequisite to being seen in the sunshine is absolute bullshit. But the objectifying nature of needing a “summer body” also quickly strips the joy from most summer activities, emphasizing appearance over embodiment.

So what is the solution?

As much as I’d love to say that the era of body positivity has made it a little easier to exist in any body, in any season, the unfortunate truth is that we still have a long way to go. Thinness is still glorified, even if it has been repeatedly repackaged and sold as “health and fitness,” and folx in larger bodies are still experiencing weight stigma on the regular.

And while I will continue to be loud about this issue and advocate for inclusive wellness, I am also choosing to care for myself this season in a way that honours my body and embodies the summer spirit of little Andrea—playful and curious.

I’m sure that all sounds well and good, but you might be wondering… what does that actually look like?

For me, getting “summer ready” is twofold.

The first (and most important, imo) step is to take your appearance out of the equation. This is, of course, easier said than done, and probably sounds a bit rich coming from a thin, white, cis woman, but hear me out if you can.

This doesn’t mean you will suddenly stop thinking about your appearance, feeling self-conscious, or stop experiencing judgment for showing up as you are. It just means that you won’t allow those thoughts, feelings, or experiences to dictate your choices.

From a more general perspective, this usually means doing the fun summer thing in your right-now body, even if you feel self-conscious.

From an exercise and self-care perspective, this means not using appearance or body size to motivate or dictate your actions.

With that in mind, the second step for me is recognizing that a lot of changes can occur over the summer months: warmer temperatures, schedule changes and disruptions, different activities becoming available, etc., and using this awareness to inform my decisions about how to care for myself.

For some, the way you care for yourself might not change a whole lot from season to season, and that's cool. For others, it may change quite a bit depending on your schedule, interests, and activities. We’re all different, and there is no right or wrong way to care for yourself, but here are some things that I keep in mind when it comes to summertime self-care:

Hydration and Sun Safety

I love the sun. I’m also very pale and get very sweaty. It’s not a great match, but I make it work by always carrying sunscreen and a big water bottle.

If you only make one change to your summer self-care routine, hydration would be my number one recommendation, especially if you, like me, also enjoy a few drinks on a sunny patio.

Longer days

Having a few extra hours of sunlight in the summertime can feel like such a blessing, especially if you start your mornings early. That said, it can also make it easier to stay up late and harder to get to sleep early.

Prioritizing enough quality sleep is important for self-care at any time of year, but you may find it helpful to be a bit more intentional around bedtime during the summer, when the pull to “make use” of the extra daylight feels strong.

Schedule Changes

Our summer schedules are often more irregular than the rest of the year. Weekends get busier, childcare changes, and there are generally more things going on. It’s important to keep this reality in mind when planning your self care and exercise routines. In my experience, most folx’s capacity for rigid routines go way down during this time, and instead of meeting that with understanding, we have a tendency to judge ourselves. I don’t want you to think this means that all hell breaks loose and there’s no point in trying to start a routine of any kind, but it’s important to be both realistic, and compassionate with yourself when doing so. Build flexibility into your routine, and shape it around the parts of summer that you most enjoy. 

Summer activities

How does your activity level change in the summertime? Do you spend more time outside? Enjoy gardening? Go camping or travelling? Entertain your small children for longer hours? Maybe you like to hike, bike, swim, or run—or maybe you’d like to try.

Many of us become more active in the summer months without really thinking about it, which is already an accomplishment worth celebrating, but it also creates an opportunity for some mindful self-care.

For example, if you walk more or enjoy hiking in the summer months, you may also experience more tension or discomfort in your feet, legs, or hips. But a few simple exercises and stretches added into your routine can help keep that tightness in check and keep you walking comfortably all summer long.

This additional activity may also increase your need to pay attention to the things we discussed above, like rest and hydration.

Once again, because we are all different, have different bodies, activity levels, experience, and interests, the way we approach our exercise routines will be different as well.

In general, when planning my spring and summer exercise routine, in order to honour my body, I emphasize function: Does it make sense for the physical demands of my life and activities? And feeling: How does this exercise make me feel? Does it feel physically safe? Is it fun, playful, enjoyable, energizing, satisfying, etc.?

Need some help or ideas on what type of exercise might best honour your body? You’re in the right place! Whether through personal training, community, or simply sharing ideas online, my goal is to help you to experience summer the way little Andrea did: connected to your body, curious, playful, and fully present—not waiting until you’ve earned the right to enjoy it.

I'm Not a Great Cook (and that's okay)

I am not a great cook, and I’m not ashamed to admit it.

…But I used to be. Especially as a personal trainer and holistic nutrition consultant in 2016, when I was brand new to my career.

It was the early years of Instagram. Food pics were peak social media content, and I was trying to promote myself online in hopes of attracting nutrition coaching clients. At the time, I was in a weird place with my relationship with food—caught between my former bodybuilder diet and the organic, no processed food, no added sugars or sweeteners, all-natural kind of vibe that is highly prevalent in the holistic health space.

Between my already complicated relationship with food and the pressure of posting food pictures on Instagram, I felt like I was supposed to be cooking, eating, and sharing perfectly curated, uber-nutritious meals 24/7.

What made this particularly difficult for me—you know, aside from the uncomfortable emotions, the obsessive thoughts, and the sense of needing absolute control over my food—was that what people most wanted to see online were recipes… and I can’t follow a recipe to save my life.

I never really learned to cook when I was young. I took one semester of cooking in junior high school, and the only thing I remember making was scrambled eggs—which I’m excellent at, by the way. But I was never taught how to chop vegetables or prepare meals. I learned how to open packages and heat things on the stove.

In my early twenties, I learned how to cook just well enough so that I could meal prep for my bodybuilding show, but my food was usually bland and often overdone. While studying nutrition, the training opened my eyes to new foods (and new food fears), and it also got me experimenting in the kitchen.

...Though many of my experiments failed, because, as I said, I can’t follow recipes.

It sounds ridiculous when I say it. I obviously understand the concept of a recipe. They’re instructions, and if I were building a desk, I would follow them to a T. But for some reason, when it comes to food, my ADHD brain just says “fuck it,” and decides that it knows better—or rather, that I just don’t want to do it that way. I want to make it my way.

Thankfully, over time, and with further experimentation, I did manage to build a small repertoire of meals that I enjoy.

Do I have the recipes written down somewhere? Absolutely not.

Are they slightly different every time I make them because of that? Of course.

But I enjoy them nonetheless.

Much like my cooking, my relationship with food also improved over time. When I gave myself permission to eat and enjoy all foods, I began experimenting again—this time with foods that I had once feared and avoided.

Slowly, I embraced the idea that meals didn’t need to be perfect. I could still eat in ways that support my health and wellbeing without having to cook everything from scratch, buy organic, or even chop my own vegetables if I didn’t want to.

Some people love cooking, and to them I say, “Do you have any leftovers?”

But for many others, cooking is just another chore on the to-do list at the end of a long day—done simply because one must eat. It can also be an incredibly daunting task for someone who is neurodivergent, or who struggles with fine motor movements, grip strength, or chronic pain.

So to all of you, I offer a friendly reminder: it is safe and healthy to eat packaged and convenience foods, and ensuring that you eat is more important than what you eat.

I also offer you my favourite cooking, eating, and nutrition tips—for folx who don’t really like to cook.

Tip #1: Meal prep is your friend

Since I don’t enjoy cooking, I find it helpful to get it all out of the way in one go so that the rest of the week I can rest easy knowing I already have what I need.

If cooking everything at once feels overwhelming, start by making enough for leftovers whenever you do cook. Save a serving for lunch the next day, or pop leftovers in the freezer for days when you don’t have the time or energy to cook.

When it comes to meal prep, I focus on meals that are simple, enjoyable, and repeatable. For me, this was less about following specific recipes and more about learning how to properly cook certain foods, and discovering what flavors and textures I enjoy.

I typically plan 3-part meals, focusing on protein, carbs, and veggies. I plan two different meals each week and prepare enough to cover lunch and dinner for 5 or 6 days—usually leaving room for a meal out or a shared meal with my partner. (Keep reading for some of my favourite easy meals.)

Don’t forget about snacks. Planning your meals is important, but contrary to what you may have been told, snacks are important too. Especially if you have a busy or irregular schedule, struggle with your appetite, or tend to forget to eat.

Prepare yourself with easy, grab-and-go snacks that you enjoy and that give you energy.

Tip #2: Convenience is kindness

The diet industry sends mixed messages about packaged, convenient foods—implying that anything processed or packaged is somehow bad or lazy, while simultaneously trying to sell you overpriced shakes, bars, and powders.

Purchasing pre-chopped, frozen, or canned produce can be a great way to save time, effort, and money. The same can be said about your proteins, carbs, snacks, or really any component of your meals and eating.

If chopping or preparing certain foods creates a barrier to eating them, skipping that step altogether makes it more likely that you’ll eat and enjoy those foods—and the nutrition they provide.

Caring for yourself is a long game. The easier you make it, the more sustainable it becomes.

Tip #3: Supplements—yay or nay?

There are so many different powders, pills, shakes, and bars out there that it’s bound to be confusing.

While in a perfect world we would get all the nutrition we need from food, supplements can help fill in the gaps when something is missing from our diet.

There is no one perfect supplement, and we are all unique in our needs—so I’m not going to give you a list of “must-haves.” But I can offer some general recommendations based on my knowledge and experience:

• Protein shakes, powders, or bars can be helpful when you’re busy, on the go, struggling with appetite, or highly active

• A multivitamin or fruit and veggie supplement can help support overall nutrient intake, especially at times when your diet is lacking variety

• An omega-3 supplement can support cardiovascular health, especially if you don’t eat much seafood

• Here in Alberta, especially during winter, a vitamin D supplement can be crucial since our natural production relies on sun exposure

  
  

When choosing a supplement, consider what makes sense for your lifestyle, health, and budget. Sometimes the only way to know is to try it and see how you feel. Other times, it may be worth seeking professional guidance.

Tip #4: Easy meal and snack ideas

General advice is helpful—but sometimes we just need ideas. Here are some of my favourite low-effort meals and snacks:

My go-to easy meals:

• Easy burrito bowl: ground meat or meat substitute with taco or chili spices, served over rice with pre-chopped coleslaw and frozen sweet corn

• Baked salmon (or other fish) with baked broccoli (pre-chopped or frozen), served with rice

• Pasta with ground meat and tomato-based sauce

  Convenience tip: use ready-made sauces and bulk them up with extra veggies

• Crispy chicken salads or wraps using bagged salad and frozen breaded chicken strips. Perfect if you have an air fryer.

• Salsa pulled chicken (Made in a slow cooker or Instant Pot): serve over nachos, in wraps with shredded lettuce or cabbage, or as a lazy taco salad

• Bulked-up ramen: add frozen shrimp, boiled eggs, or tofu, plus frozen kale or edamame to your favourite instant noodles.

• Vegetarian coconut curry: curry paste, frozen peppers and onions, coconut milk, canned lentils and chickpeas, and frozen cauliflower over rice

My go-to easy snacks:

• Smoothies (banana, frozen berries, yogurt, seeds, coconut water or juice, high-protein milk or milk alternative)

• Cheese and crackers with pickles (aka lazy charcuterie)

• Apple with peanut butter

• Mini-cucumbers with hummus

• Granola or protein bars

• Protein shakes

Other easy add-ins:

• High-protein milks

• Instant oatmeal (add seeds or frozen fruit)

• Frozen egg bites

  
  

You don’t need to be a great cook to eat well.

A truly healthy diet takes your time, abilities, and budget into account—and includes a variety of foods eaten for enjoyment, nutrition, and convenience.

If you’d like to support your health with food and nutrition without focusing on perfection, consider what you can add, not what you can avoid—and make doing so as easy as possible.

If you found this helpful, check out the Self Care Community. Lets un-complicate self care together.

No Wrong Way

Anybody in the fitness industry can list off the benefits of resistance and aerobic activity. There are government sponsored pages telling you what kind of physical activity and how much of it you should be getting in a day or in a week. But the question that most people find difficult to answer is, how do I get there?

My name is Jill Estabrooks and I am a soon-to-be graduate of the NAIT Personal Fitness Trainer Program. Over the course of the last two years I have been studying the science of exercise, corrective exercise techniques for chronic pain and injuries, and exercise for mental health and certain clinical conditions. I have also been lucky enough to participate in two different practicum programs through NAIT where I was able to focus my education working with people who have a variety of different life circumstances that impacted their ability to be physically active. These experiences have given me a unique understanding of and a passion for the different ways that movement can be adapted to promote health, enjoyment and safety in spite of mental, medical and physical limitations. 

For some of us, my age and older, you might have grown up hearing a lot about what has now been coined “The 2000’s Diet Culture” which featured shows like The Biggest Loser, fitness magazines propagating the need to have a “Bikini Body by Summer!” the 30 day cleanses and the fitness crazes like P90X. I remember in my early teenage years when my Facebook feed was full of people talking about a thigh gap, and what exercises that you needed to do to accomplish that, and then again in my early twenties when people were talking about “Hip dips” and what exercises you needed to do to make them look smaller. I grew up with the fitness phrases, “Just Do It,” “No Excuses,” “No pain, no gain,” or mindsets revolving around punishing our food choices with brutal and intense workouts. I have seen and heard people bragging about working until they throw up or pass out, as if that is healthy.

We talk a lot more now about having a healthier mindset when it comes to food choices. There are a lot of people on social media now, doctors, nutritionists and even influencers that promote healthy choices in sustainable ways, but I feel like our relationship to movement still has a long way to go. 

If we are starting to learn the lessons about having a healthy relationship with food, when are we going to start promoting having a healthy relationship with movement?

I am happy to say that over the last few years there has been a big shift toward understanding fitness and participating in it in a healthier way. But fitness is a long-term goal, and we don’t always get there by changing our whole lives to revolve around the gym or sports. Some of us need to take smaller steps to protect our bodies and our peace. 

And that is okay!

With the rise of fitness trackers, step goals became an effective method for people to become more active. Walking is a low impact activity, it does not cost money and has mental health benefits as well as impacts on our overall health, but sometimes even that is not an accessible option. When the snow and ice hits, our sidewalks are treacherous, nonexistent or invisible. If you need a mobility tool, are recovering from an injury, are at high risk of an injury during a fall or even if you have asthma, walking outside may not be an option. Of course, you can always buy a gym membership, or you can get a treadmill or a walking pad for your house, but it’s unrealistic to think that everybody has the room in their budget or even the comfort levels for something like that. So, what is wrong with sitting in a chair and bouncing your feet and legs like you are walking, running or dancing? Absolutely nothing. In fact, this is a fantastic exercise for people who need to be careful about high impact activities because of medical conditions, injuries, or people who might be at a higher risk of dizzy spells or falls. And if your legs are tired, sore, or otherwise immobilized, you can move your arms instead! This adaptation works just as well for strength and mobility, allowing exercise to meet you where you are at so that you can  move your body in a way that is sustainable and safe.

There are a lot of people out there who show up on social media with suggestions about what counts as exercise and how to optimize it, and this makes accessing general information really complicated. If you are just starting out and can only commit to one session a week, you don’t need to worry about things like what order you put your strength versus aerobic training. Pick an order that feels the best for your body and for your mind. These people may share a lot of beneficial information about the science that makes exercise work but they are talking to a population of people who are avid lifters, athletes and coaches. At the end of the day, fitness can be an intimidating environment to step into, and the prevalence of the internet does not make any of this easier. When there are constantly videos shaming people for exercising “wrong,” or promoting only this specific type of training, even if it is not something that will work for everyone and encouraging people to feel shameful about whatever attempts that they have made, it is not hard to get overwhelmed.

But the truth is that there is only one rule regarding movement.

You need to be safe. 

When I was a young teenager, my fitness journey started with the ten-minute ab routines or half hour bodyweight workouts from fitness magazines and videos. I spent a lot of my allowance on my Beachbody subscription for P90X workouts and other work out DVD’s. Nowadays, YouTube can be a fantastic resource for this. And it’s free. So, if going to the gym is not something that you cannot manage right now, for any reason, there are a lot of options out there for at home workouts. Scroll through, find something that you enjoy and does not hurt your body, learn how to belly dance or try that fifteen-minute resistance workout if you would like. 

If you cannot justify spending money on the equipment to do something like this, there is no rule saying that you can’t use everyday household objects as dumbbells or resistance as you get better at these workouts. Do you need some light dumbbells for that super fun Zumba workout that you found? You can use a plastic water bottle, it is small enough to fit in your hand, and you can change the weight by adding or removing some of the water. If you need something heavier, like for strength training, you can use a bag and some books. The weight is easily adjustable and can be worn many ways. If you do not have a roller or a yoga block for that mobility video that you found, use pillows and towels wrapped around a metal thermos or water bottle. Instead of buying massage balls, I have used various items such as tennis balls or dog toys. 

And this works in the reverse as well. If a bodyweight workout is too difficult, or the impact on your joints is too much, you can hold onto walls, table legs or countertops to be more stable, or you can perform the activity sitting in a chair or on your couch. It is commonplace now for dance or workout videos to provide varying intensities and chair demonstrations so that anyone can join in. There are no rules saying that you need to use dumbbells or expensive equipment from a store if you are picking safe alternatives.

Just moving your body, in whatever way that you can manage is an accomplishment.

Because if you are being safe, there is no wrong way to move your body.