Summer has always held significance as a time of supreme freedom -- a time to amp up the fun.
It’s your time to do what you want, where you want and with whomever you want. You feel uninhibited -- no more beards, no more treadmills and no more indoor-mandatory dates with your significant other.
You want the grass and sand beneath your toes and the sun shining on your face.
Summer is the time you feel best about yourself. You’re more confident. You’re tan. You’re hitting on every attractive thing that walks by you. You’re the badass you’ve been waiting more than six months to be.
But it isn’t just your attitude that improves in summer. You are actually a healthier and happier person in the summer months.
So the next time people question you when you say your favorite season is summer (we’re talking to you, fallers), here are six scientific reasons they’re wrong and you’re right.
You’re sleeping like a boss.
The early bird gets the worm, but who wants to get out of bed when it’s cold and gray outside? Waking up early in the summer is so much more inviting.
The sun is shining, and the birds are chirping. And more than that, waking up to sunlight will help you have a more restful sleep at night.
Getting a half hour or more of daylight between 6 am and 8:30 am is an effective way to regulate your biological clock.
As Dr. Virgil D. Wooten explains in an article for How Stuff Works, “You need to reset your clock each day, so that it stays compatible with the earth's 24-hour daily rhythm -- and with your daily schedule.”
On a sexier note, the heat is also more likely to influence you to sleep naked to lower your body temperature, and sleeping naked has its own set of health benefits; not least of which is inspiring you to have more sex.
You’re getting Vitamin D everywhere you walk.
The next time you need an excuse to skip work and get outside, tell your boss you’re Vitamin D deficient.
That’s a totally legit reason to take a walk around the park and email from your phone as the sun is the best source of Vitamin D.
Dr. Holick, author of "The Vitamin D Solution," recommends exposing the skin on your legs, back, abs and arms two to three times a week without sunscreen for about half the time it would take to get burned.
This will be enough to boost your immune system and work to prevent diseases in almost every system of the body.
This also gives you a scientific excuse to work on that tan. Maybe your mom was onto something when she used that reflector board...
You’re filling up on fruit.
It’s hard to motivate yourself to eat fruit in the winter when your picks at the grocery store are slim (and shriveled).
But in the summer, your options open up just like the only man in a bar on ladies’ night. Pineapple, watermelon, berries, mango... It’s an embarrassment of riches.
Forget about how an apple a day keeps the doctor away -- summer fruits are chock-full of the vitamins, fiber and antioxidants you need to keep your body healthy and regular.
They’re also tasty mechanisms for hydration when you’re tired of guzzling from your water bottle.
As Rosanna Lee, a nutrition educator, told the Huffington Post, "These summer fruits not only taste great, but they also provide your body with water and a combination of nutrition, keeping your body healthy and happy."
Bonus: You’ll definitely win points with your bae if you put fresh fruit in his or her summer cocktail. Amp up the taste AND the Vitamin C by loading their drinks with lemon and tangerine.
You’re swimming like a champ.
Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte don’t have banging bodies for nothing.
When you swim, the water’s resistance works all your major muscle groups, including the shoulders, arms, hips, glutes, abs and legs.
It also builds up your cardiovascular system by testing your lungs and getting your blood pumping.
Why would you hang out at a gym squatting and struggling to keep up with Muscles McGee next to you when you can glide through the cool water with minimal impact on your body?
Swimming is also the perfect activity for your summer soiree. You can transition from exercise to partying to lounging on a raft all within the same party.
You’re turning up and sweating it out -- both for your health and for your love life.
If you’re outside in the summer, you’re most likely sweating. It’s hot, and no matter how little clothing you wear while still within societal limits, sweat is a reality.
The good news is sweat comes along with all kinds of benefits. It’s a way to detox your body and open your pores, getting rid of the nasty bacteria that builds up.
It’ll make your skin healthier and boost your mood by upping your endorphins.
But the BETTER news for guys looking to attract females is sweat amps up your natural scent, putting your pheromones out into the world for women to pick up on in a real way.
In a study reported on by UC Berkeley, male sweat has been found to boost females’ hormone levels. In fact, it can actually improve a woman’s mood.
Sweating at a summer bash is basically a guaranteed way of attracting your own summer love.
With all that sweat and naked sleeping, you are bound to be in a good mood all summer long. Take advantage of your summer freedom by turning up the good times, the sunshine AND the health.
