Summer of Sisterhood: Latham's Top 10 Summer Tips for "The Glow"

Written by Latham Thomas

It's blazing out, it's time to pull out the maxi dresses, sandals, and bikinis, and soak up some much needed vitamin D in the form of sunshine. Let's look at some ways we can tune-up and prepare our bodies for the season to look and feel our very best. You can make big transformations with these little steps. Let's look at 10 recommendations you can start doing today to look and feel luminous. Get your GLOW on!

1. Drink water- Sounds simple enough. We learned back in grammar school that our bodies are composed of 55-60% water. Dehydration is so common and yet most of us have no idea we are dehydrated. If you don’t stay  hydrated, your body won’t perform at peak levels. Since we are mostly composed of water, we need to replace water that is depleted from the body as well as give our body the water it needs to perform metabolic processes. Boosting your water intake to 3 liters of water per day increases your metabolism by 33%! If you’re worried about excess “water weight,” remember you’re likely to retain more water (causing swelling in ankles, feet, hands, and face) when you’re not drinking adequate water. Get yourself a stainless steel or glass bottle and keep drinking. For a little flavor add some lemon, lime, or grapefruit wedges. 

 2. Get your green on!- Eat more salads, cooked leafy greens. Upward reaching leafy veggies are blood builders and cleansing for the liver. Experience your greens in a variety of ways, interesting salads, sauteed, steamed, juiced. Bulk up your fiber intake and have at least two salads daily. Add a variety of toppings to make your salads more substantial; beans, sprouts, chopped veggies, seeds, nuts, etc. Greens help to regulate your blood sugar and will likely curb any cravings for heavy sweets. Start your day with a tbsp liquid chlorophyll in a glass of water with squeeze of fresh lemon juice to perk up your system.

 3. Get up and Go!- Exercise during the mornings whenever possible. As it gets warmer our bodies naturally desire more sunlight and activity. When you work out at the start of your day it decreases your appetite and stimulates the thyroid to burn calories all day long. Try yoga, power walking, jogging, swimming, paddle boarding, rollerblading, or spinning in the mornings to start off your day, before it gets too warm and you make an excuse :) add some resistance training at the end of the workout to further stimulate the fat burning process. This might include push-ups, pull-ups, crunches, and squats. Also note that when you exercise in the morning it influences your food choices and you tend to eat healthier throughout the day.

 4. Kick Sugar to the Curb- Simple sugars enter your blood stream within minutes and have a harmful effect on the body, causing mood swings, weight gain, mineral depletion, heart disease, arthritis, among other disorders. Let's face it, the modern diet is loaded with sugar, but we can do our best to control how much sugar we eat and in what forms. Generally avoid white sugar as well as synthetic sugars- aspartame etc. If you know you have a sweet tooth try integrating tasting foods into your diet like- sweet potatoes, pears, cinnamon, these foods are soothing to the pancreas and can satisfy the body’s craving for sweet taste. For healthier alternatives to sugar try the following sweeteners: Maple Syrup, Molasses, Stevia, or Honey.

5. Raw Rules!- Beat the heat and keep cool, energized and glowing with raw foods. Raw foods have been prepared using minimal heat (under 105 degrees) retaining enzymes, vitamins and minerals. This includes my favorite- GREEN JUICE, kale chips, and smoothies, and innovative salads. There are a lot of healthy raw packages goods out there, but you can make raw delights in your own kitchen. Download Matthew Kenney's app for the iPad- Raw Express: Delicious Healthy raw food in 30 minutes or less. 

6. Keep it fresh- I mean two things here: 1. eat the fresh seasonal foods that are available, and 2. introduce new and exciting dishes, and methods of preparation to your culinary repertoire. It gets boring eating the same old thing, prepared the same old way all the time. With the changing season try incorporating some new techniques and recipes that will inspire you to eat healthy and celebrate this new shift. 

7. Eat In- Dining out means less control of what's in your food. Restaurants and processed food  contribute to the majority of sodium, sugar, and poor fat, in our diets, not to mention the hidden calories. Save restaurant dining for occasional nights out and really focus on preparing healthy meals for yourself at home. Go to the bookstore and check out some new cookbooks, like Chef Bryant Terry's The Inspired Vegan, (Perseus/DiCappo), or visit some sites online for healthy recipe  inspiration. Remember to keep dinners light. 

8. Pack a Mobile Pantry- It can be challenging to eat well when you are constantly on the go. Places that serve healthy lunches and snacks are scarce compared to the plethora of fast food joints out there. One way to set yourself up for success is to pack a mobile pantry. Pack a selection of easily transportable foods that you can munch on throughout the day when you find yourself hungry. This will help keep you away from the less healthy foods out there and help to regulate cravings. Pack fresh fruit, nuts, seeds, crackers, hummus with sliced veggies. 

9. Eat Good Fat- A healthy intake of fats like avocado for instance is a better way of getting your daily fat than from   summertime grilled foods. Essential fatty acids can not be produced by the body and as a result must be obtained from the diet. Omega 3s are beneficial for cardiovascular heath. You can find them in the flax seed oil, borage oil, hemp seed oil, broccoli, walnuts, and acai palmberry.  Increasing your intake of Omega 3s will help you burn fat and lower your cholesterol. 

10. Keep it Colorful- Keep in mind the more colors you have on your plate, the more balanced your meal. The natural pigments in fruits and vegetables have astounding health benefits, containing disease-fighting compounds called phytonutrients. It helps that these foods happen to be low calorie, but are nutrient dense. It also makes meal time exciting when there are colors popping off your plate.

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Inspiring Glow Foods 

By Latham Thomas

Sassy Watermelon Mint Salad 

Who says you have to eat watermelon off the rind? This sassy summer salad is great for lunch on the go, barbecues, post workout snack, and kids enjoy it too. It's easy to make and tastes great. Watermelon is a powerful food, rich in Vitamin A, B Vitamins, vitamin C, lycopene, magnesium, and potassium. Not only is it s thirst quencher, but helpful in reducing swelling and inflammation caused by edema, athsma, diabetes, colon cancer, arthritis, and a recent study shows that watermelon juice prevents erectile dysfunction too.

Sassy Watermelon Mint Salad (prep time 15 minutes)

1 5lb watermelon 

1 red onion or vidalia onion

1/2 cup fresh chopped mint

1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley

1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro

4 tbs fresh lime juice

salt and pepper

Cut the watermelon into inch size chunks, slice the onion into thin ring like strips and soak in a bowl of cold water for at least an hour. Discard the water and remove onions. In a large bowl add the watermelon, mint, cilantro, parsley, lime juice, and onions, gently mix then add salt and pepper to taste. This is an amazing seasonal salad that is hydrating, and cooling on warm summer days and helps to reduce swelling caused by heat and poor circulation. If you are pregnant- mama this is for you!

About Latham Thomas:

Latham Thomas is a maternity lifestyle maven, wellness & birth coach, and yoga teacher on the vanguard of transforming the maternal wellness movement. A graduate of Columbia University & The Institute for Integrative Nutrition, Latham is the founder of Mama Glow- a holistic lifestyle hub for women to explore their creative edge through wellbeing. Her practice provides support to pre/postnatal women along their journey to motherhood offering culinary and nutritional services, yoga, and birth coaching services. She is co-founder of the Mama Glow Film Festival- a platform for maternal advocacy through film and philanthropy.  She recently launched the Mama Glow Salon Series- a platform for birthing conversations around cocktails, panels, and discussions. Bridging the gap between optimal wellness, spiritual growth, and radical self care Latham Thomas is emerging as the go-to-guru for modern holistic lifestyle for women during pregnancy and beyond! A sought after nutrition and lifestyle expert, her television appearances include The Dr. Oz Show, Fox News LIVE, CBS News, ABC Eyewitness News, NBC-LXTV, and Inside Edition. She has been featured in the New York Daily News, New York Post, Time Out New York, Vogue.com , Whole Living, Essence Magazine, the cover of Experience Life Magazine, She lives in New York City with her son Fulano and their turtle Climby. Latham will publish her first book- "Mama Glow: A Hip Lifestyle Guide to Your Fabulous Abundant Pregnancy" in November of 2012 with Hay House. Latham is helping to green the planet one belly at a time. Latham is a proud supporter of Every Mother Counts.

website: www.mamaglow.com

Twitter: @GlowMaven

 Forthcoming Book!

Mama Glow: A Hip Guide to Your Fabulous Abundant Pregnancy, by Latham Thomas