Take Your Summer Workout Outside
Summer is officially here, and that means warm temperatures, blue skies, and the perfect opportunities to take your workouts outside.
With fresh air all around, there’s no reason to spend your days pent up in the gym. Grab a bottle of water, slather on some SPF, and tie up your sneakers — we’re headed to Mother Nature’s playground for some serious sweat time.
Get Board
If you live near water, grab a paddleboard (lots of cities have rentals!) and head to the lake. Standup paddleboarding is the ultimate full-body workout. Your legs, back, and core will constantly work to keep you balanced and stabilized, while your arms, shoulders, and back will be working to propel you forward.
Because it’s relatively low impact, paddle boarding is suited for people of all ages and skill levels. Grab the whole family and make a day out of it. Need some extra cardio? Turn it into a race! Loser makes dinner.
Play Ball
Sometimes all you need is to get back to your roots. If you played a sport growing up, odds are you remember how much easier it was to stay in shape. That’s because you were constantly on the move, running up and down the court or field, and spending endless hours at practices.
Strap on your sneakers or cleats and see how much skill you’ve got left. If you’re flying solo, try to remember old drills you used to do or Google a few before heading out. Or, grab a couple friends, or your kids, and play an entire game. Better yet, throw a neighborhood tournament and hold a cookout afterward.
Summer is the perfect time to bring the whole neighborhood together, and it’s even better with a little competition and a whole lot of food.
Park It
You can turn any park or trail into the ultimate obstacle course workout. Think of every bench, tree, and stairway as a piece of equipment and get creative! Put your back against a tree and hold a 90-degree “tree-sit” for one minute. Then stand up, push your hands against the trunk, and run in place — try to push the tree over!
Benches are great for step-ups, box jumps, elevated push-ups, and toe taps.
Every time you see stairs run up and down them a few times, switching between skipping steps, touching each one with both feet, and climbing them sideways.
On the trails between obstacles you can jog, sprint, lunge, or cycle. Throw it all together and you’ve got a killer circuit workout.
Hill Thrills
Want to scorch major calories but don’t have a lot of time? Hill-sprints are for you. All you need are a pair of running shoes and a decent sized hill. Try this routine as a starter:
1. Warm-Up: Jog/run 5 to 10 minutes
2. 3 sprints at 50% (of your top speed)
3. 3 sprints at 75%
4. 3 sprints at 90–100%
5. Cool-down: Jog/run 5 to 10 minutes
Sprint to the top of the hill and walk back down for some recovery between sprints. And keep your eyes peeled for holes or branches.
Sandy Feet
Ever tried to run on sand? Yeah, it’s tough stuff! If you’re headed to the beach already, you can get your workout in and your tan on all at once — no equipment or shoes required.
Because the sand is constantly shifting, our body recruits extra muscles to keep us balanced and stabilized, which is why everything feels ten times harder. Turn the following movements into the ultimate beach-body workout:
- Bodyweight Squats
- Jump Squats
- Walking Lunges
- Side Lunges
- Burpees
- Pushups
- Shoulder Taps (in plank position)
- Bear Crawl
- Planks
Whatever you choose, the benefits of working out outside are endless. Fresh air, sunlight, and Mother Nature do the body and mind good, and it’s all free! Now that’s a reason for some summer celebration.
