Summer is (finally) almost here, and getting healthier is a popular goal as people prepare to bare more skin in the summer months.

While we’ve written about Buffalo’s popular gyms and fitness clubs in the past, health isn’t just about exercise — it’s about eating well and spending time outside (especially in the sun), which helps with both physical and mental well-being.

To prepare you for the upcoming summer months, we’ve put together a list of places around Buffalo and Western New York that will help you get fitter, eat better and feel great as the weather warms up.

Places To Buy Nutritious Food

Studies have shown that eating well is even more important than exercising for maintaining a healthy body weight. These places offer delicious healthy options that will satisfy your appetite and keep you from indulging in junk food.

Squeeze Juicery – This juice/smoothie bar has locations in the Elmwood Village and on Main Street in Williamsville, and it offers a wide array of healthy options. From Instagram-able acai bowls to prepared salads, cold-pressed juices and smoothies packed with fruits, veggies and greek yogurt, Squeeze Juicery’s food is both nutritious and delicious, with tons of organic options. Don’t miss the Hotel California salad, featuring organic arugula, farro, quinoa and veggies. The Afternoon Delight bowl is sure to satisfy a sweet tooth, with a heart-healthy blend of acai, banana and blueberries topped with strawberries, banana, granola and toasted coconut.

Lexington Co-op – With locations on Elmwood Ave. and Hertel Ave., the co-op is the best place to stock up on organic and gourmet food. Featuring healthy prepared options like soups, salads and entrees as well as fresh fruits and vegetables from local farms, there’s something for everyone at the co-op. You can do the vast majority of your shopping here, and they frequently offer sales for member-owners (membership also gets you a dividend at the end of the year). Produce is generally cheaper here than even Wegmans or Whole Foods, and it’s some of the freshest around, so you can eat healthy without breaking the bank.

Eat Rite Foods – Want to eat healthy but don’t like (or have time) to shop and cook? Eat Rite Foods makes it easy for people with a busy lifestyle to eat healthy. Located on Delaware Rd., Eat Rite Foods is a meal preparation service offering a variety of healthy prepared meals for pick up or delivery. Customers can choose from a weekly menu with breakfast, lunch and dinner options and must order at least 10 meals at a time, which can be picked up at their location or delivered to your door. Each meal can be refrigerated for up to a week and includes nutritional information right on the container, making it easy to calculate your macros and stay on track. Having a nutritious prepared meal available in your fridge on-demand can be extremely convenient and help you avoid ordering greasy takeout when you’re too tired to cook.

Outdoor Exercise in Buffalo

Gyms are great, but it can be difficult to be stuck indoors when the sun is shining and it’s gorgeous outside. Exercising outside has many advantages, and spending time in the sun can improve your sleep and mood. It can also make it easier to exercise — most people would prefer to run outside and enjoy nature than be stuck on a treadmill. Here’s where to take advantage of the warm weather and work out outdoors this summer.

Love in Motion Yoga (Outer Harbor) – Voted Buffalo’s Best Yoga Studio each of the two years since it opened, Love in Motion Yoga takes their popular style of yoga flow outdoors for the summer. Every Wednesday night from 6:30-7:30 p.m., as well as the first Saturday of every month from 9-10 a.m., the studio offers free classes at at Wilkeson Pointe at the Outer Harbor. The studio’s experienced, anatomy-focused instructors always offer a fun and safe workout for beginner and advanced yogis alike. There’s nothing better than doing yoga while watching the sun set over the harbor, and the Saturday morning classes are the perfect thing to get your weekend going before you head out for other plans. For other outdoor yoga fun, check out Love in Motion’s special Goat Yoga classes at Alpine Made Farm in South Wales later this summer.

Stand-Up Paddleboarding (Canalside): Stand-Up Paddleboarding (SUP) has become a huge exercise trend in recent years, and Buffalo’s waterfront at Canalside is a great place to do it. A SUP is kind of a cross between a surfboard and a kayak. Longer and wider than a surfboard, the boarder can stand right on the board and use a paddle to move across the water. It’s a great core workout that’s more accessible to those who lack the coordination (or access to waves) required for surfing. SUP also lends itself to other types of activities, with SUP Yoga being a popular activity here in Buffalo and beyond. BFLO Harbor Kayak offers SUP rentals on the southern end of the Canalside boardwalk May through September from 9am-7pm for just $25/hour.

Fitness in the Parks (Various parks across WNY): Independent Health sponsors a great series of free outdoor exercise classes during the summer called Fitness in the Parks. They offer several different classes each week in parks around Buffalo and Western New York, so there are no excuses not to attend and get your sweat on this summer. Parks include those in Buffalo (including Delaware Park and Bidwell Park) as well as Larkin Square, Losson Park in Cheektowaga, Main Street Park in Clarence, Day Road Park in Lockport, Legends Park in Niagara Falls (new this year), and plenty more. Classes range from Zumba, Boot Camp and Yoga to strength training, Barre and Piyo, a hybrid of yoga and pilates. The program runs through August 24, and the full schedule is available on their website.

Where do you go to stay healthy in the summer? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook.