The warm weather is getting everyone in the mood for backpacking. Your mind and body need to relax not only on summer months but as often as possible. Studies show that relaxing activities such as visiting the countryside can help reduce anxiety, prevent stress, increase energy, and improve concentration. Does this mean that you should be scheduling a backpacking trip every month? Definitely not if you live at Tivoli Garden Residences. You can enjoy laidback living all year round.

Tivoli Gardens is a resort-style condo community at the heart of the metropolis. It’s strategically located in Mandaluyong City and is five minutes away from Makati CBD. It features lifestyle amenities such as a pool deck and gardens that make summer staycation an everyday possibility.

Here are 8 summer staycation ideas you should explore.

#1: Dip in the swimming pool

Summer Statycation Dip in the Pool

Photo courtesy of DMCI Homes

No guide to a summer staycation is complete without swimming whether in a pool or the beach. Tivoli Garden Residences has a leisure pool, lap pool, and kiddie pool. You can bring a few guests for a weekend swimming get-together. Your young nieces and nephews will definitely have grand time at the resort-style pool. You can also ruminate under the stars at the pool deck.

#2: Sweat it out at the fitness gym

Summer Staycation Fitness Gym

Photo courtesy of DMCI Homes

Do you know that fitness gyms, like tourist destinations, also have peak seasons? There is a spike in gym visits in the months approaching summer as people prep for their beach vacations. The visits dwindle in the rainy season before picking up again in the weeks before the sem break. The Christmas season is typically a slow period in gyms as people are busy attending social events and parties.

Stay in your fitness program throughout the year. Tivoli Garden has a fully-equipped gym open to tenants. No extra costs on membership and transpo. Since it’s right in your condo community, you don’t have to battle the sun or the rain during commutes.

#3: Roll up your sleeves for crafts

Summer Staycation Crafts

Photo courtesy of Pixabay via Pexels

Doing crafts is a recommended stress buster. It keeps your consciousness in the present moment and helps you focus on the task at hand. This summer, take the time to disconnect from your gadgets. Do relaxing offline activities such as craft making. You can reorganize your photo album (the physical one), recycle jars into containers, and do decoupage art. Check out Pinterest for new ideas everyday. Why not invite your condo neighbors and do crafts together in one of the function rooms or in the sky lounge?

#4: Organize after-work badminton matches

Summer Staycation Badminton

Photo courtesy of Pixabay via Pexels

Excessive use of electronic gadgets such as laptops and smartphones can mess with your health. It can disrupt your body clock and increase your risk to sleep disorders, and result to a sedentary lifestyle. The World Health Organization warns that a sedentary lifestyle or physical inactivity can cause diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and colon cancer.

Disconnect from your gadgets, call your friends, and hit the badminton court. Organize friendly matches after work or on weekends. You can cool down in the leisure pool after.

#5: Get to know Filipino literary masters

Summer Staycation Filipino Literacy

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When was the last time you read a book that you like? Reading is not only relaxing, it stimulates the brain and increases one’s level of happiness. Many bookworms claim that flipping through the pages of a paperback is better than swiping an e-book. Well, whatever suits you! What matters is the quality of material you’re feeding your brain.

Explore the works of famous Filipino writers including Nick Joaquin, F. Sionil Jose, and Amado V. Hernandez. Immerse in F. Sionil Jose’s classic Rosales Saga which followed the lives of generations of a Filipino family from the Spanish regime to the Martial Law era. Bring your books to the Sky Lounge or open lawn and read away.

#6: Play good video games

Summer Staycation Play Video Games

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Amid all the bad rep video playing has been receiving in years, do you know that it also has benefits on one’s mental performance? Studies show that video games can help increase memory capacity, improve reading among dyslexic children, and increase the brain matter. It can also reduce anxiety and stress.

Spend quality time with family and friends this summer by playing a good video game in the comforts of your condo home. Check out Gravity Rush 2 (PS4), For Honor (PS4, Xbox One, PC) and Horizon Zero Dawn (PS4). Serve refreshing watermelon slush to your guests.

#7: No, it’s not too early for Christmas planning

Summer Staycation Christmas Planning

Photo courtesy of DMCI Homes

Call up your gang and brainstorm for staycation ideas that will suit condo living. Instead of focusing on summer, you can come up with a calendar of activities for the entire year. It’s never too early to plan your Christmas reunion. Tivoli Gardens, a premier condo for rent in Mandaluyong, features amenities that can accommodate your events such as birthdays and reunions. There are function rooms for intimate get-togethers and a function hall for a larger crowd.

#8: Redesign your condo home

If you’re an employee, you know the hardships of securing vacation leave during the summer months. The competition for vacation slots is stiff that many file leave applications as early as January. One glorious benefit of staycation in a condo home is doing away with this concern. Why would you use up your leave credits to visit the beach if you can enjoy resort-style amenities every day?

Bring the comforts of your condo community inside your living space through a new interior design. Explore palettes that trigger calming emotions and display lots of indoor plants. Plants clean the air, cool down spaces, and promote relaxation. You can also change existing design elements to something more organic. Lay tatami mats instead of carpets and replace your plastic racks with bamboo baskets.

Relaxation shouldn’t be seasonal. With the increasing stressors in our society, it’s imperative that you learn how to decompress every day. Come up with summer staycation ideas that suit any time of the year. Relax alone or with companions in your condo community.