This post is sponsored by Whole Foods Arlington. As always, all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the companies that help support me and this blog! 

Is it me, or did June absolutely fly by? The first day of summer was last weekend, and I kicked it off with my gym friends Ashley and Mary at Ashley’s family’s beach house in Rhode Island.

Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate much, but we still had a really fun time. On Saturday we drank mai tais and rose bubbly (my new favorite!), talked for hours, and played games with Ashley’s family. On Sunday morning we stopped by my friend Erica’s beach house down the street to say hi, and then we went out for a yummy breakfast and coffee. The rain finally stopped on Sunday after breakfast, so we were able to at least walk around Watch Hill for a little bit and do a little window shopping.

The sun finally came out Sunday afternoon, and I’m glad we got to enjoy some steamers, corn on the cob, and my almost Mediterranean chickpea salad in the warmth of the sun before we had to leave.

If that meal doesn’t scream summer solstice, I don’t know what does! I don’t know about you guys, but the start of summer for me usually means less big food prep sessions on the weekends, lighter throw together dinners throughout the week, steamers and mussels and seafood galore, shorts and sundresses, farmers markets, beach time, porch time, and of course more quick, outdoor workouts instead of being holed up in the gym. Summer is such a great time to get moving and be active outside, and it’s also a great time to switch things up and try something new from your usual routine if you are feeling stuck in a workout rut.

If you’re looking for some inspiration to switch things up for the start of summer, I encourage you to head to your local Whole Foods branch this coming weekend . They are running a national campaign in their Whole Body department called Ready For Action, and it’s designed to provide you with the right tools to get ready for an active summer. On Saturday at 10am, they will release their Ready For Action summer survival kit for sale. It’s basically a collection of supplies for active summer living that includes sunscreen, aloe, electrolyte tablets, superfood shake mixes, and more.

All the essentials come in a really cute blue zipup bag, and I received a complimentary bag of goodies from my friends at the Arlington store. I brought the bag along for my weekend getaway last weekend, and even though I didn’t get to use the sunscreen or aloe vera sans sun, I know they will get put to use on a sunnier weekend. I think the bag is the perfect size to carry along to the beach, to an outdoor workout (note the bag hanging with my kettlebells above!), to keep in your car for road trips, etc. It can fit the perfect amount of things without my phone and keys bulging out of it.

Interested? Here’s what you can get, bag included, for just $12 this weekend (normally valued at $50) while supplies last:

• Toms of Maine Long Lasting Deodorant, Natural Powder Scent (2.25 oz)
• Aubrey Pure Aloe Vera (4 fl oz) and coupons
• Boiron Arnicare Gel (.5 oz)
• Amazing Grass Amazing Meal, Vanilla Chai (.88 oz) and coupon
• Goddess Garden Organics Natural Sunscreen SPF 30, Everyday or Kids (1 oz)
• Garden of Life Perfect Food Raw Organic Green Super Food, Real Raw Chocolate Cacao (.34 oz)
• Nuun Active Natural Electrolyte Enhanced Drink Tabs, Lemon + Lime (10 tabs)
• Spectrum Essentials Seed Blends – Orchard Fruit, Savory, Tropical Fruit, or Warrior Vitality (.5-.7oz) + recipe booklet
• CalNaturale Svelte Organic Protein Shake coupon

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Aside from the $12 bag and goodies deal, Whole Foods will also be having the following supporting promotions over the next week:

• 6/24-6/30: All Vega, Garden of Life, and Amazing Grass on sale at 30% off
• 6/24-6/30: Buy a Whole Foods Market protein (excluding single packets) and get a free blender bottle
• 6/26-6/28: Three day protein category sale

Hope you guys will be able to take advantage of this at your local branch. If you live in the area though, pop in to the Arlington store. They will be celebrating the Ready for Action kickoff from 11-1 with made to order protein smoothies, superfood samples, and cool giveaways! So fun.

Readers, let’s chat! What do you associate with summer? How do your meals and workouts change once summer comes around? How did you kick off summer solstice last weekend? What are your summer survival essentials?