You always seem to look and feel your best when you’re on vacation. There’s a good reason for that. It’s always important to take care of yourself. Usually, that means keeping up to a fitness, skincare, haircare and supplement regiment. However, just like you, your body sometimes needs a break from what’s keeping it going. The best way to do that is to go somewhere where the nature itself has natural healing powers and letting your body’s cells do what they exist for. Here’s how to have a detoxifying vacation with 5 Mediterranean wellness tips.
Wake Up With the Sun
The Sun has many health benefits and vitamin D is the least of them. Getting your daily dose of sunlight is widely known to be good for you. It boosts your immune system, strengthens your bones and has many skin benefits. If you properly protect your skin, exposure to sunlight can reduce inflamation and solves skin conditions.
Especially in places like sunny Malta, though, be careful to protect yourself adequately. We all know overexposure to the Sun can be dangerous. In the heat of the summer, not only do temperatures go up, the UV index does too. In Valletta and other hilly parts of Malta, you may be exposed to a maximum of 11+ UV level.
Still, the Sun is your friend. It serves your body another purpose: it aids your sleep. Waking up with the sunrise has many benefits in its own, not just boosting your mood. In a general sense, waking up when the Sun rises gives you better sleep and reduces your daily stress levels. Early bird gets the worm!
Exercise Outside
Exercise is one of the top ways to boost your body’s hormones and wellbeing. It reduces stress levels and builds strength. Combine exercise with clean salt air and the sun on your retreat. Exercising daily in the fresh, not yet so hot, morning air is one of the best Mediterranean wellness tips you could get. Exercising in the open air, like doing some yoga or going on a run at the beach is a gorgeous experience.
Malta encourages this with outdoor gyms. One of our favourites is in Sliema. But you definitely don’t need the machinery of a classic gym to work out your body. If you are a low impact exercise kind of person, pilates on the stone beaches works just as well. Imagine seeing the sun come up while admiring the glistening waves and smelling the morning tides.
The biggest benefit of a daily workout outside is your intake of salt air. Salt air in your lungs is known to draw out impurities and eliminate contaminants. It will absorb toxins in your lungs and leave you feeling refreshed. In fact, salt in a general sense helps you hydrate your body and retain mositure during a workout. But you may need to intake some extra sodium for that.
Swim in the Sea
The most famous health tip you can get while on vacation is swimming in the sea. It’s so effective that there are wellness trips dedicated to it. Among the best known health benefits of a quick dip in the sea are boosting your immunity, improving sleep, burning calories, improving circulation and various heart benefits.
There are many visible benefits to salt water as well. Famously, salt water is incredibly good for your skin as it reduces inflammation. That’s why your skin clears up on vacation. Salt water mechanically exfoliates your skin, removing the bulk of your acne. Lastly, it accelerates tanning! Again, we have to warn you against taking a dip without the proper UV protection. Luckily though, in Malta, there are beautiful beaches for swimming anywhere you go. It is guaranteed you will find the best beaches in Malta for swimming, no matter what your orientation is. Go with family to a sandy beach, cliff diving with your friends, or for a solitary swim in Sliema.
The Mediterranean Diet
What you put in your body shows in your wellbeing. A health fad that has been going around is the famous Mediterranean Diet. It consists of eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes and healthy fats. Still, the hardest part is avoiding processed foods and refined sugars and grains. In a place like Malta, sourcing healthy foods is not very difficult. In fact, you can get fresh food in almost every restaurant, especially seafood. Opt for some grilled fish or oysters for a more diverse diet. And well, an occasional pizza once in a while won’t harm anyone.
By the time you leave Malta, you will be more refreshed than ever.
Eat Some Prickly Pears
Whether in jam or juice form, or just peeled off the fields, prickly pears have many health benefits. Plus, they’re fun and local! Like many things we’ve already mentioned, prickly pears have antioxidant and anti inflammatory effects, possibly even heart benefits. Some say that prickly pears ease joint pain. It provides Magnesium, Potassium, Protein and Fiber. So that means it may make your workouts even more effective! Add them to your smoothies for healthy intake.
There are some rumours that prickly pears help in anti aging properties on the skin and protect your hair from sun damage. In fact, some popular haircare companies focus on the use of the prickly pear extract for that Mediterranean shine!
Leave your remedies at home: they’ve served you well and will continue to. Take a week off to detoxify yourself and try out some mediterranean wellness tips. Soon you’ll find that working on yourself isn’t any work at all.
Title image was cropped and belongs to © Malta Tourism Authority
