Spring into summer with 40 fun food and fitness ideas.

The clocks have changed and our days are getting longer, I love this time of the year with the anticipation of summer just around the corner.

So  the perfect season to start being more active and enjoying fresh, lighter meals.

We’ve got 40 fabulous food and fitness ideas to help you step into a healthy summer

• Nothing says summer like firing up the barbecue. But get out of your sausages-and-steak rut and try a different healthier protein on the hotplate. Grilled salmon, calamari or tuna are all great low-calorie, protein-packed options. Our gluten free muesli adds a deliciously crunchy topping to a salad, one of my favourites is this broccoli salad.

• Give disc golf (sometimes called frisbee golf) a go. This fun, cheap game the whole family can play involves throwing a concave plastic disc into a series of metal baskets on an outdoor course. New Zealand has more than 100 courses, most on public land, and 92 leagues if you really want to get serious. It provides upper and lower body conditioning, aerobic exercise, and promotes a combination of physical and mental abilities that allow very little risk of physical injury. There is a great one in Henderson and my nephews love it. 

• Don’t just throw berries and banana in the blender - add greens to your smoothie this summer. Chuck in some spinach, lettuce, celery or kale. These greens contain protein and iron and are full of cell-protecting and repairing antioxidants, vitamins C and A, as well as B vitamins and fibre. Try growing some celery you can just take off a stalk as needed and it keeps growing!

• Add some resistance training to your exercise regime, it is great for bones, we'll discuss more in a blog later in the month.

• Grow something edible. It doesn’t matter how old you are, you are more likely to enjoy fruit and vegetables if they are from your own garden. If you don’t have enough space to dig up a plot, there are lots of fruit, vegetables and herbs that will grow in pots. I've planted Italian parsley, coriander, basil and chives in pots and I have rhubarb in the garden but this can easily be grown in pots. It's great being able to snip off what you need and add fresh to your cooking creations. 

• Instead of ordering in pizza, opt for a low-carb version with pizza-stuffed capsicums or make your own pizza creation with pita bread.
  
  
• Exercise outdoors – whether you take your yoga mat onto the deck or set up a backyard weights and cardio circuit, it’s much nicer to be out in the fresh air than in a gym and you will get some lovely vitamin D and feel good sun vibes. You don’t need lots of expensive equipment – plastic bottles filled with rice make great hand weights and a skipping rope will get your heart rate up fast. Go online for workout inspiration. I like doing yoga with Adriene.

• Make staying hydrated more fun by freezing water bottles (don’t overfill them) overnight and having ice-cold water most of the day. Another good trick is to have fruit-infused water for low-calorie flavour – citrus such as lemon, orange or lime slices work well or try strawberries or cucumber and mint. I also love adding Gail's Kombucha to my soda stream water for flavour minus the sugar. I am not great at drinking water, I forget! So another trick I have is have a bottle right beside me when I'm working and scull half of it!

• Get everyone off the couch (and off their devices) with a game of nature bingo. Make your own cards with squares such as ‘find a Pohutukawa flower’ or ‘find a perfect shell'. Spider webs, butterflies, daisies, feathers, ants, snails and birds also make good discoverable items. Players have to mark each thing off and the winner is the first person who manages to mark off every box. 

• Fall in love with lettuce wraps. Good old iceberg lettuce makes the best wraps although Cos leaves can work too. Fill them up with your favourite taco or burrito mixtures or anything else you like for a healthy low-carb lunch or dinner. 

• Indulge your sweet tooth with the bounty of fresh in-season fruits such as berries, melons and stone fruit available in the summer months, sprinkle some of our peach and passionfruit paleo blend on top. The ultimate healthy dessert! 

• Hire roller skates or rollerblades for an afternoon of fun fitness. You will be so busy keeping your balance, you won’t even realise you are working out. Remember to get a helmet and knee and elbow pads to avoid injury. 

• Have a go at making your own poke bowl – this recipe has all our summer favourites such as sweetcorn, avocado and lime juice 

• Become a picnic pro – if you are heading out for a day at the beach or a festival or sporting event, you are more likely to eat healthy food if you take it with you than look for options to buy. Pack a cooler with ice, bottled water, sandwiches on whole grain breads, pita chips, hummus, yogurt and lots of fruit. You’ll feel healthier and happier at the end of the day. 

• Set up a summer sports tournament – whether it’s a competition with your extended family or you get a group of friends together, it’s a great way to get in some fitness and have fun at the same time. Beach or backyard cricket, rounders or swingball are all good options. Even set up hopscotch on the drive with chalk. Google the rules before you start to avoid fights as everyone may remember them differently. 

• Develop a taste for tomatoes: Slicing one cup of raw tomato for your lunch salad gives you as much as 40 per cent of your recommended daily intake of vitamin C and 20 per cent of your daily vitamin A. 

• Meet a friend at a café, but instead of grabbing a table, grab a takeaway drink and set off on a walk. You can catch up on all their news and get your steps in at the same time. 

• Make your own ice blocks or frozen desserts. You can puree fruit and low-fat yogurt and freeze them into ice block molds or dip bananas in melted dark chocolate and put them in the freezer. If you have any bananas going brown, don't throw them out, chop them into quarters and freeze, then when you need instant ice-cream combine the chopped up banana and frozen berries (50:50 ratio) in a powerful blender and instantly you have a yummy ice-cream. 

• Set up an obstacle course in your back yard or at a local park. Whether you aim to beat the clock and improve your time or whether you compete against a workout buddy or your kids, you can exercise your whole body in one session. 

• Drink ginger water. If you like ginger tea as a hot drink, you should also take advantage of the tuber’s positive properties during the summer. This is because a ginger drink (just make ginger tea and let it cool down) is not only super refreshing, it also provides you with vitamin C and valuable minerals.

• Go bush – instead of walking your usual route around your neighbourhood, do some research and find a local bush walk. New Zealand natives provide some much-needed shade in the hottest months so it will be cooler than pounding the pavement. You can even go further afield and make a day of it. 

• A breakfast in a jar is a great option to start the day in the summer months. They can be made ahead of time and combine Te Atatu Toasted cereals with seasonal ingredients. Check out some options here. 

• Make your own healthy oat cakes – they are a great savoury treat on their own or with your favourite topping. 

• If you have a sedentary job, it can be hard to find ways to exercise during your work day. See if you can convince your colleagues to have a walking meeting. Thrash out decisions while strolling around the streets. 

• Perfect a fruit and vegetable salsa recipe. They are light and fresh and can be spooned on grilled fish instead of butter, used as a fat-free salad dressing or eaten with corn chips instead of high calorie dips or guacamole. You can use mango, melon, strawberries, tomatoes, chilies or whatever you prefer. Add some coriander if you like the flavour and a squeeze of lime. 

• Dance your way to feeling fit and fabulous. You don’t have to wait for a night out to get your groove on. Just crank up your favourite tunes and boogie in the lounge for half an hour. Kids love an impromptu dance party too! 

• Up your salad game. More than just a side dish, salads made with flair can be the main event for lunch or dinner. We love these options from healthfood.com – Chicken, kale and strawberry salad, Roasted harissa sweet potato and salmon salad, Rainbow noodle salad with chicken and edamame and Speedy tuna niçoise. 

• Water sports are a great way to add variety to your exercise routine in the hot summer months. Swimming, kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding and even water walking will help tone different areas of your body. 

• Smarten up your snacks – go for nuts and seeds or hummus with vegetables (carrot sticks, capsicum strips or celery). Replace potato chips with pea crisps or brown rice crisps. If you are a cheese addict, opt for feta or tasty – they are full of flavour so a little goes a long way and you will eat less than if you choose cheddar, brie or camembert.