Summer can be exciting—longer days, vacations, cookouts, and a shift in pace from the structure of the school year. But let’s be real: with that shift comes the temptation to let healthy habits slide. Between summer camps, travel, and the general chaos of a new routine, it’s easy to wake up weeks later wondering where your rhythm went.

This blog is your game plan for staying grounded through it all. These are the same five strategies I give my 10WT clients to help them protect their progress and thrive through the summer months—not just survive them.

1. Prioritize Yourself—First

If you’re a parent, your summer calendar might revolve around driving kids to and from camps, games, or vacations. Even if you’re not a parent, summer’s unpredictability can have you prioritizing everyone but yourself.

But here’s the truth: when you put yourself first, everyone benefits. If you squeeze in your workout before the chaos of the day begins, you’ll have more patience, more presence, and more energy. Whether it’s a 20-minute walk or a full training session—protect that time. Show up for yourself, so you can better show up for others.

2. Get Organized with Your Calendar

Summer is not the time to wing it. When your schedule gets busy, your health goals need structure more than ever.

Talk through your calendar with your partner, your kids, or whoever else is impacted. Plan ahead. Know your travel dates. And most importantly—build your calendar around your workouts, not the other way around.

Your health is a non-negotiable. Treat it like it.

3. Move with Your Family

If you’re traveling or spending more time with your kids, look for ways to be active together. Walks on the beach, bike rides around the neighborhood, a game of tennis or pickleball—whatever gets everyone moving.

These small activities can double as quality time and movement. Start a new routine, like post-dinner walks while it’s still light out. It’s one of the easiest ways to keep up your activity levels while staying connected to the people you care about.

4. Make Meals at Home (and Pack Some Too)

You already know this—but it’s worth repeating. Cooking at home is usually way healthier than eating out. But in summer, we often find ourselves out of rhythm. Grocery trips get skipped. Meal prep gets forgotten. Convenience takes over.

So here’s the strategy: plan a bit ahead and be just a little more stubborn about eating at home. Even on vacation or at the lake, pack lunch. Bring snacks. Prepare breakfast at your rental. Do what you can to reduce the number of meals you’re outsourcing.

Your body—and your progress—will thank you for it.

5. Don’t Let “Vacation” Be an Excuse

Vacation is not a hall pass for all your habits to fly out the window. Your body doesn’t know the word “vacation.” It only knows what you’re feeding it and how you’re moving it.

Yes, relax. Yes, indulge a little. But don’t swing so far off course that it takes you weeks to recover. You don’t have to be perfect. Just don’t make it as bad as it could be. Get some movement in. Eat a few solid meals. Go to the grocery store when you arrive and stock up on basics you can control.

Own what you can control, and your vacation won’t set you back—it’ll just be a different version of your routine.

Final Thoughts: Start Strong, Stay Strong

Right now—early summer—is your window to create momentum. If you wait until later in the season to get back on track, it won’t magically fix itself. But if you lock in some rhythms now, the rest of the summer can actually help you grow—not slide backward.

So ask yourself: what can I start this week? Which of these tips feels most doable?

Don’t let your health take a vacation. Keep showing up, one day at a time. And if you do, you’ll keep getting closer and closer to your Best You.