Heart Mag - July 2026: The Summer Self-Care Check-In — Alcohol, Heat, Mood and Heart Health
- 7 hours ago
- 12 min read
Author: Jamie Pickett, Clinical Exercise Physiologist, Health Facilitator, & Founder of My Movement Medicine.
Length: 12 minute read
Category: Heart Mag, Heart Health, Lifestyle & Wellbeing, Seasonal Health.
Introduction
July is a good month for a self-care check-in.
Not the vague kind of self-care that gets reduced to candles, bubble baths, or buying something new.
Real self-care is much more practical.
It is checking your blood pressure when you have been putting it off.
It is noticing that alcohol has crept up during summer plans.
It is reducing exercise intensity when the weather is too hot.
It is asking for help when mood, anxiety, stress, or loneliness are starting to build.
It is booking the session, taking the medication, getting outside earlier in the day, protecting sleep, and choosing the version of exercise that your body can actually recover from.
This month’s Heart Mag looks at four summer health areas that often overlap:
alcohol, heat, mood, and heart health.
The aim is not perfection. The aim is awareness, adjustment, and a steady plan you can actually follow.
“The part can never be well unless the whole is well.” — Plato
July health focus
July includes several awareness themes that link well with self-care, long-term health, and community support.
Key awareness dates this month include:
Alcohol Awareness Week: 6–12 July 2026
Self-Care Month: 24 June–24 July 2026
International Self-Care Day: 24 July
Samaritans Awareness Day: 24 July
World Hepatitis Day: 28 July
Disability Pride Month: July
You do not need to engage with every awareness day.
Instead, use July as a prompt to ask:
What is one health habit I need to check, adjust, or restart this month?
The summer self-care check-in
A useful self-care check-in should be simple enough to repeat.
Try these four questions:
Alcohol: Has my drinking increased recently?
Heat: Am I adapting exercise properly in hot weather?
Mood: Am I coping, or just carrying on?
Heart health: Have I checked the basics recently?
That is the whole article in one line.
Now let’s break it down.
1. Alcohol: has it quietly crept up?
Alcohol Awareness Week runs in July, and this year’s theme is “Alcohol and me.”
That is a good phrase, because alcohol is personal. People drink for different reasons:
relaxation
habit
social plans
boredom
stress
sleep
confidence
celebration
“just because it’s summer”
The point is not to judge. The point is to notice.
For heart health, alcohol matters because it can affect:
blood pressure
sleep quality
heart rhythm
weight management
mood and anxiety
medication routines
hydration in hot weather
liver health
motivation to exercise the next day
Alcohol can also be a trigger for palpitations or atrial fibrillation in some people. If you have a known rhythm problem, cardiomyopathy, heart failure, high blood pressure, liver disease, or you are recovering from surgery, it is worth asking your clinician what is sensible for you.
Alcohol can also interact with some medications, so check with your pharmacist or clinical team if you are unsure.
The low-risk drinking guideline
UK guidance advises that, to keep health risks from alcohol low, it is safest not to drink more than 14 units per week on a regular basis.
If you do drink up to this amount, it is better to spread it across three or more days, with some drink-free days.
For many people, the biggest issue is not one drink. It is the pattern.
Patterns to watch include:
drinking most nights
drinking more at weekends
drinking to manage stress
drinking because sleep is poor
drinking more in hot weather
losing track of units
feeling worse the next day but repeating the pattern
A good July check-in is not:
“Am I bad for drinking?”
A better question is:
“Is my current drinking pattern helping or harming my health?”
“Awareness is the greatest agent for change.” — Eckhart Tolle
A simple alcohol reset
Try this for one week:
write down what you drink
include the size, not just the drink
include the reason: social, stress, taste, habit, sleep, boredom
add two alcohol-free days
avoid using alcohol as hydration in hot weather
alternate alcoholic drinks with water or alcohol-free options
avoid drinking close to bedtime if sleep is already poor
You do not need to announce a dramatic lifestyle change.
Just gather honest data.
That is self-care.
When alcohol needs extra support
For some people, cutting down is simple.
For others, alcohol is more complicated.
Please seek professional support if:
you feel unable to cut down
you drink to cope most days
you get withdrawal symptoms
you hide how much you drink
your mood worsens when you reduce alcohol
alcohol is affecting work, relationships, money, health, or safety
If you are physically dependent on alcohol, it may be unsafe to stop suddenly without medical advice.
This is not a willpower issue. It is a health issue, and support is available.
2. Heat: are you adapting, or pushing through?
Check out our warm weather health guide from last month:
A timely guide on adapting exercise in warm weather, including when to reduce intensity, when to avoid structured exercise, and how to stay safe with long-term conditions.
A brief summary:
Warm weather can encourage people to move more, but it also places extra stress on the body.
In hot weather, your body has to work harder to cool itself. Heart rate can rise. Blood pressure may drop. Sweating increases. Fluid balance becomes more important. Exercise that usually feels easy can suddenly feel much harder.
This matters if you live with:
a heart condition
heart failure
high or low blood pressure
diabetes
kidney disease
respiratory conditions
reduced mobility
neurological conditions
recent illness or recent hospital admission
It also matters if you take medications that affect heart rate, blood pressure, sweating, kidney function, or fluid balance.
The 35°C rule
There are times when the safest exercise plan is not to exercise.
As a simple rule, if temperatures are around 35°C or above, structured exercise is not recommended, especially if you live with a heart condition, diabetes, respiratory condition, heart failure, kidney disease, reduced mobility, or you take medication that affects blood pressure, heart rate, fluid balance or sweating.
At this level of heat, the goal is not to keep the streak going.
The goal is to stay cool and safe.
On very hot days:
do not complete outdoor exercise
avoid structured exercise unless you are in a genuinely cool indoor environment
do not try to hit your usual step count or exercise target
avoid hills, intervals, circuits, heavy strength work, or anything that makes you hotter
keep movement to essential daily activity and very gentle mobility only
focus on cooling, hydration where appropriate, shade, rest, and checking in on vulnerable people
Some people may need to reduce or avoid exercise at lower temperatures too, especially if humidity is high, air quality is poor, symptoms are worse than usual, or a heat-health alert is in place.
A missed workout in extreme heat is not a failure.
It is sensible risk management.
“Listen to your body. It is smarter than your schedule.”
Heat and heart failure: a special note
Many hot weather articles simply say “drink more water.”
That is not always straightforward for people with heart failure.
If you have been advised to restrict fluids, follow your personalised guidance. Speak to your GP, heart failure nurse, pharmacist, or specialist team if you are unsure what to do during hot weather.
You can still reduce heat stress by:
staying in cooler rooms
using shade
wearing loose, light clothing
avoiding unnecessary travel
cooling the skin with damp cloths or sprays
keeping exercise very gentle or stopping structured exercise on very hot days
Do not guess your fluid allowance.
Heat-smart exercise options
On milder warm days, you may be able to keep moving by adapting.
Cooler day
walk earlier or later
use shade
keep RPE around 10–13
take water
include a longer cool-down
Hot day
reduce time and intensity
avoid hills
use indoor options
keep RPE around 9–11
stop before symptoms build
Very hot day or 35°C+
This is not a day to train.
Focus on staying cool, staying hydrated where appropriate, and returning to exercise when conditions are safer.
3. Mood: are you coping, or just carrying on?
Samaritans Awareness Day falls on 24 July, because Samaritans are there to listen 24/7.
This is a useful reminder that self-care is not only physical.
After a cardiac event, diagnosis, operation, hospital admission, or health scare, it is common for people to experience:
anxiety
low mood
fear of symptoms
reduced confidence
frustration
loneliness
loss of identity
worry about the future
fear of exercising independently
Some people look fine on the outside while carrying a lot internally.
A useful July question is:
Am I genuinely coping, or have I just become good at pushing through?
You can also contact Samaritans for confidential emotional support if you need someone to talk to.
Signs you may need more support
Consider seeking support if you notice:
you are withdrawing from people
you feel persistently low
health worries are taking over the day
you are avoiding movement because of fear
sleep is consistently poor
alcohol or food is becoming the main coping tool
you feel unusually irritable or overwhelmed
you no longer enjoy things you usually value
you feel unsafe or unable to cope
If there is immediate danger or you feel at risk of harming yourself, seek urgent help through emergency services or local crisis support.
You do not need to wait until things are unbearable before asking for help.
Small mood supports that actually count
Try one of these:
message someone before you feel isolated
attend one group session
go for a short walk with another person
spend 10 minutes outdoors earlier in the day
write down one worry and one next action
reduce alcohol for a week and watch your sleep
protect a bedtime routine
do five minutes of breathing or meditation
speak to your GP if mood symptoms persist
Mood support does not have to be dramatic.
Often, it starts with one honest conversation.
4. Heart health: have you checked the basics?
Self-Care Month runs from 24 June to 24 July, with the theme
“Self-care puts your health in your hands: Test. Track. Thrive.”
That is a useful structure for heart health.
Test
Get a clear picture of where you are.
This might include:
blood pressure
cholesterol
HbA1c or diabetes risk
weight or waist measurement if relevant
medication review
symptom review
exercise tolerance
mood and sleep check
Track
Look for patterns.
Track:
blood pressure readings
alcohol units
steps or walking time
Borg RPE 6–20 during exercise
sleep quality
mood
symptoms
recovery after exercise
You do not need to track everything forever. A short tracking period can help you spot what needs attention.
Thrive
Use what you learn to make one useful change.
For example:
book a review
add two alcohol-free days
move exercise earlier in the day
reduce intensity in hot weather
restart one weekly class
build a short evening routine
ask for support instead of waiting
This is the difference between health information and health action.
Disability Pride Month: access matters
July is also Disability Pride Month.
This matters in health and exercise, because many people live with conditions that are not always visible.
A person may look “fine” but still be managing:
fatigue
breathlessness
pain
anxiety
medication side effects
balance problems
mobility changes
fluctuating symptoms
Accessible exercise is not about making things easier for the sake of it.
It is about making exercise possible, safe, and repeatable.
At My Movement Medicine, adaptations are not a sign of failure. They are good coaching.
A seated option, slower pace, lower resistance, longer rest, online session, or supported balance exercise can be exactly the right choice.
“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” — Arthur Ashe
July self-care plan
Here is a simple plan for the month.
1. One alcohol check
Choose one:
track units for 7 days
add two drink-free days
avoid alcohol on very hot days
stop drinking close to bedtime
ask for support if alcohol feels difficult to manage
2. One heat plan
Choose one:
walk before 10am or after 7pm
avoid outdoor exercise during the hottest part of the day
switch to online or indoor exercise when needed
use the 35°C rule
plan a cool-down and recovery drink if appropriate
3. One mood check
Choose one:
message someone you trust
book a GP appointment if mood is persistently low
attend a group session
spend time outdoors in the morning
write down what is worrying you and one next step
4. One heart health action
Choose one:
check blood pressure
book a medication review
restart your exercise routine
check your booking for class
complete a health questionnaire
review your RPE and exercise confidence
Catch up on June’s health guides
June was a busy month on the My Movement Medicine website, with new guides covering community, flexibility, warm weather safety, intimacy after a heart condition, and how to join or refer into the service.
Here are the June posts if you missed them:
Heart Mag - June 2026: A Connected Summer for Heart Health
A community-focused Heart Mag looking at connection, June awareness days, the World Cup sweepstake, and simple ways to stay steady with movement, health checks, recovery, and support.
A practical hip stretching routine to support walking comfort, mobility, and everyday movement.
A timely guide on adapting exercise in warm weather, including when to reduce intensity, when to avoid structured exercise, and how to stay safe with long-term conditions.
A sensitive and practical guide on returning to intimacy after a heart condition, including safety, confidence, communication, and when to seek medical advice.
GP Pack & Self-Referral Guide | My Movement Medicine
A useful start-here guide for patients, GPs, cardiac rehab teams, social prescribers, and anyone looking to join or refer into My Movement Medicine.
SMART challenges
Short-term SMART challenge: 7-day summer self-care check-in
Specific: Complete one alcohol check, one heat plan, one mood check, and one heart health action.
Measurable: Tick off 4 actions by the end of the week.
Achievable: Each action should take 10 minutes or less.
Relevant: Supports safer summer routines, better self-awareness, and heart health.
Time-bound: Complete within 7 days.
Long-term SMART challenge: 4-week July reset
Specific: For 4 weeks, track alcohol, exercise RPE, sleep quality, and one heart health measure.
Measurable: Complete at least 3 check-ins per week.
Achievable: Use a phone note, diary, or simple tick sheet.
Relevant: Helps identify patterns between alcohol, heat, mood, sleep, symptoms, and exercise tolerance.
Time-bound: Continue for 4 weeks, then review what needs to change.
How My Movement Medicine can help
My Movement Medicine helps people build safe, structured, heart-conscious exercise routines that feel realistic.
Our face-to-face sessions in Hampstead provide clear guidance, a welcoming group environment, and support with pacing, confidence, strength, balance, and cardiovascular fitness.
Our online sessions are ideal if travel, heat, symptoms, confidence, or location make it harder to attend in person.
Both options use longer warm-ups and cool-downs, the talk test, Borg RPE 6–20, and adaptable exercises, so you can keep moving without feeling pressured to overdo it.
Start with a trial session, choose face-to-face or online, and build from there.
Trying a new activity? Approach it the right way with some support from our Activity Specific Guides:
Frequently asked questions
Can I drink alcohol if I have a heart condition?
It depends on your condition, medication, rhythm history, blood pressure, liver health, and clinical advice. If you have atrial fibrillation, heart failure, cardiomyopathy, high blood pressure, or are recovering from heart surgery, ask your clinician what is suitable for you.
Is alcohol-free beer or wine better?
It can be a useful option for some people, especially if it reduces total alcohol intake. Check sugar content if you have diabetes, and choose what supports your wider health goals.
Should I exercise in very hot weather?
At around 35°C or above, structured exercise is not recommended for most people with heart conditions, diabetes, respiratory conditions, heart failure, kidney disease, reduced mobility, or other long-term conditions. Stay cool and return to exercise when conditions are safer. Exercising during the cooler parts of the day is recommended.
Why does exercise feel harder in the heat?
Your body has to work harder to cool itself. Heart rate, breathing, sweating, and perceived effort can all increase, even at the same walking speed.
What if I feel anxious about symptoms?
Do not ignore new or worsening symptoms. If symptoms are stable but fear is holding you back, supervised or guided exercise can help rebuild confidence gradually.
What is the best self-care habit for heart health?
The best habit is the one you repeat. For many people, this starts with regular walking, strength twice per week, medication consistency, blood pressure awareness, sleep protection, and social support.
Recommended books
Drink?: The New Science of Alcohol and Your Health — Professor David Nutt A clear, evidence-informed look at alcohol, health, risk, and decision-making.
Real Self-Care — Dr Pooja Lakshmin
A stronger take on self-care, moving beyond superficial wellness and focusing on boundaries, values, decision-making, and sustainable change.
The Good Life — Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz
A practical book on relationships, connection, wellbeing, and long-term health.
References and useful sources to link
Alcohol Change UK: Alcohol Awareness Week 2026
UK Chief Medical Officers’ Low Risk Drinking Guidelines
NHS: Heatwave — how to cope in hot weather
British Heart Foundation: Hot weather and your heart
British Heart Foundation: Alcohol and heart disease
Samaritans Awareness Day
World Health Organization: Self-Care Month 2026
World Health Organization: World Hepatitis Day 2026
Scope: Disability Pride Month
Ending
Self-care is not about doing everything perfectly.
It is about noticing what is happening, making one sensible adjustment, and getting support when you need it.
This July, check the basics:
Alcohol.
Heat.
Mood.
Heart health.
Small changes in these areas can make the rest of your routine easier to maintain.
This health guide was written by Jamie Pickett, Clinical Exercise Physiologist, Health Facilitator, & Founder of My Movement Medicine.
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