With the hotter weather comes more evenings spent at the beach, more barbecues and often more social events for some. Here are some tips to stay healthy over the summer months while enjoying the weather, food and festivities.

1. 1.Hydrate often
   

2. Drink plenty of water every day (even if you don’t feel thirsty). Keeping hydrated helps to keep your energy levels high. If you don’t like water, try sparkling water or adding fresh lemon for taste.
   

2. 2.Enjoy summer fruits in moderation
   

3. Fruit consumption often decreases over winter but when summer hits, and all the stone fruits and melons are in season, we have the tendency to eat enough fruit for the whole year in just those 3 months.
   

4. 
   

5. Fruit is a great source of fibre and vitamins and should absolutely be enjoyed on a daily basis. Just be careful not to get too excited though as they are still high in sugar and even healthy foods can be over-eaten. Enjoy 2-3 serves per day (where 1 serve of stone fruits is approximately 1 larger fruit, such as a peach, or 2 smaller stone fruits, such as apricots or plums, approximately 1 cup of diced melon or 1 wedge of watermelon).
   

3. 3.Eat healthy at the beach
   

4. Who doesn’t love a picnic style dinner at the beach on a hot summer’s night? Fish and chips on the beach followed by ice cream because, you know, it’s hot!
   

5. 
   

6. Well, there is nothing wrong with eating this way on the odd occasion but if you are one to spend regular evenings at the beach, it is important to try to find healthy alternatives. Try asking for grilled fish with a side of salad instead of chips. Alternatively, why not pack your own healthy picnic with vegetable sticks and dip, fruit, salads or wraps with lean meat and salad.
   

4. 4.Balanced Barbecues
   

5. It will be too hot to cook inside soon so it is time to dust off those barbecues. Just remember, having more barbecues does not mean it is time to increase our meat intake. Be sure to keep your plates balanced including ½ vegetables or salad, ¼ meat, chicken or fish and ¼ potato, rice, pasta or bread.  Choose lean meats where possible and trim visible fat off before cooking. Limiting high fat meats such as sausages and chops is a good idea too. And remember, barbecues don’t have to be all about the meat, it is a great place to cook up a variety of vegetables too!
   

5. 5.Exercise
   

6. Being physically active is just as important as good nutrition. You would never forget to eat so let’s not forget to exercise either. It only takes 30 minutes of exercise per day to keep fit and healthy. Choose an activity that you like to do, such as walking, running, bike riding, hiking, swimming, gym classes etc, and start today, because tomorrow never comes if you keep putting it off to tomorrow.