Take advantage of the heat, sunny days and the sweat that releases feel-good endorphins

I don’t know about you, but when summer hits, I feel a little happier and a little more anxious to be healthy. In other words, while winter finds me binging on garbage television and eating my weight in soups and stews, summer sends me out on adventures with a salad in tow and a smile on my face.

I started to wonder if it was just me, so on a recent sunshiny day I took inventory of people I passed at the gym, the store and even my own family. Everyone, it seemed, was in a better mood and glowing just a bit. Sure, some of it was the glisten of sweat on an 80-degree day, but there was just something more to it.

So I did some research and found out I’m not just making things up in my head − summer (and summer weather) is a great time get happy and healthy. Here’s why.

Water is a step on way toward a bikini beach body

It’s sunny and we go outside. Your body starts producing things like Vitamin D and releases serotonin which, according to The Cleveland Clinic, makes us feel more focused, emotionally stable, happier and calmer. Those are four things a person could definitely use, especially if summer also means your kids are all home and need snacks and food and have lost the ability to put cups in the dishwasher.

Speaking of cups, warmer weather also causes us to drink more water. Apparently, all of the hot coffee I consumed in the winter doesn’t count as much as the plain old water we drink in the summer. An article in The Statesman said that water “contains zero calories, boosts our metabolism, cleanses our body of toxins, and acts as an appetite suppressant.”

So basically, drinking water prepares us for our beach body, and all we have to do is get warm, thirsty, and turn on the tap in preparation for that bikini.

Heat benefits is a hot topic

And the getting hot part? That helps us feel amazing, too. Spring Mill Senior Living published an article that says heat helps to improve one’s memory, and it’s well known by anyone who exercises that sweating releases endorphins in your body that just make you feel really good.

Eating fresh food also helps you feel good, and what better time than the summer to eat as many fresh fruits and vegetables as you can? Even better if you grew them yourself − there may be nothing better in the world that a homegrown tomato.

So thank you, summer, for sending me outside to be hot, sweaty, thirsty and hungry. I’ll remember to calmly raise my glass of water to you.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Cheers to positive outcomes after long, hot, sunny summer days