Well, you guys did it! You made it to week 12 of Courtney’s Challenge! You’re surely no worse for wear, more like better for it. Courtney says “it doesn’t matter how you started, it’s all about how you finish,” and with that, she’s issuing one heck of a final exam for week 12.

This week, you’re asked to choose three challenges and do them each day. You can click here to see the complete list of challenges, and then choose the three that you either enjoyed the most or could use another chance at accomplishing. Then, report back like you do every week. Tell us what you chose and why, how you managed them this time as opposed to the first time, or even what you got out of this summer challenge. Our final winner gets free Wholly Guacamole and a DIR hooded sweatshirt!

Plus, join us TONIGHT, Tuesday, September 6 for another live Yackit! video chat event! It’s your chance to meet Courtney face-to-face online and ask her the question you most want answered. Wholly Guacamole will be there giving away delicious prizes; we’ll have some T-shirts to giveaway too. It promises to be the most fun you’ve had on a Tuesday night in a while. Just click here to get all the details, and click here to join us tonight at 8pm EST / 7pm CST.

In this week’s Health Buzz, learn how to stay fit while you beat the heat and enjoy what’s left of this blazing hot summer.

With stories from Shape, SheKnows, MomGenerations, and our team, you’ll learn how to actually enjoy a swimming workout, how to finally fit yourself on the to-do list, make plans for your first 5K this fall, and get to the bottom of this whole raw food vs. cooked food argument (spoiler alert: it’s a bit of a tie!).

Plus, sip into one of the best recipes we’ve stumbled upon all summer – watermelon mojitos. In a popsicle. We’re loving Sugar And Charm for this one!

It’s all in this week’s Health Buzz! Click to watch it now.

See more Health Buzz episodes.

By Mary Hartley, RD, MPH for Calorie Count.

There’s no denying that this summer was a scorcher. Certainly one for the record books. Come winter, we’ll be wishing for a heat wave – and summer food – again. Just so there are no regrets later on, it’s time to attend to your summer food bucket list. Beat the heat one last time with these highly nutritious, oh so good, summer favorites. This list of foods to eat before summer dies includes recipes that are analyzed and maintained in Calorie Count’s extensive recipe browser.

Caprice Salad

The queen of tomato salads from the magical Isle of Capri. There is nothing to cook, but it does require perfectly ripe, heavy, aromatic, lycopene-filled tomatoes and cool, fresh, calcium-loaded buffalo mozzarella.
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To say this summer has been “hot” is a huge understatement. From record-setting temps to weeks upon weeks of weather that’s too hot to be out in let alone work out in, it has truly been the dog days of summer. While we’ve shared lots of ways for you to stay cool in the summer heat, do you really know the reasons why heat is so hard on the human body and how it affects darn near every part of us? Read on for a primer on how this heat wave is affecting our bodies!

Heat and Your Skin

When it’s hot out, your body’s skin works to keep you cool. The skin’s first job when hot is circulating blood to the skin, which increases your skin temperature and allows your body to give off some heat. Next is sweating. Sweating helps you cool off, but when the humidity levels are high and your sweat can’t evaporate, it doesn’t do a whole lot of good and can result in heat rash. Additionally, the extra heat can prompt us to wear less clothing, thereby increasing our risk of sunburn.

What to Do About It: Wear loose-fitting clothing, apply sunscreen to all exposed areas and if you’re in a humid climate, try to be near a fan to help your body evaporate that sweat!

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By Terri Hall for Care2.com

A tall glass of iced tea, dripping with condensation, accessorized by a lemon slice is an icon of relief from summer heat. A kind of oasis in a glass. If you’re an adventurous tea lover, you might try branching out beyond the traditional sun tea this summer. The following recipes put a spin on iced tea, but the distinctive flavor of tea is still recognizable.

Iced Tea Smoothie
The perfect smoothie for tea lovers.

Makes 2 mugs

• 1 cup double-strength chilled tea
• ½ cup lemon non-fat yogurt
• Lemon slices

1. Blend tea and yogurt in a blender for 20 seconds.

2. Pour into chilled mugs and garnish with a slice of lemon.
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