Inspiration alert!
While many equate summertime with beach and poolside lounging (#guilty), it’s also a fabulous time to get outside and enjoy a good workout. From biking to hiking to swimming, there are tons of ways to get out of the house and active, no matter where you live. To get you started, we rounded up five of our favorite ways to workout this summer … for free!
1. Turn Pool Time Into a Workout: If you’ve got access to it, cooling off in the pool is one of the joys of summer. Kill two birds with one stone with these pool exercises, which offer a full-body workout. Bonus: you’ll stay cool and refreshed while you’re at it.
2. Take a Bike Tour: Every city and town is full of unexplored neighborhoods and areas. Why not jump on your bike and check out the sites? TrailLink can help you find nearby biking paths, and also help you burn calories while getting a different view of the terrain. Want to make this a family outing, but your little one hasn’t yet mastered traveling on two wheels? Check out a training bike like FirstBIKE, which has a cycle for children aged 2-5, along with a no-stress method of learning to ride!
3. Create Your Own Boot Camp: Boot Camps are challenging, but can be a lot of fun! Head to a nearby park and create your own strength and cardio exercises. To get you started, try this circuit: jumping jacks, lunges, high knees, push-ups, triceps dips (off a bench or curb) and sit-ups. Do each exercise for 60 to 90 seconds; rest in between exercises as needed. Repeat the whole thing two or three times. Need some more inspiration? Get ready to burn fat and build muscle with this 30-Minute Boot Camp Workout, no equipment needed!
4. Play Games: It’s amazing how many calories you will burn – not to mention how much fun you will have – when you gather friends and family for a rousing game of kickball, volleyball or tag. It is summer after all, so bring your friendly competition to the beach! Sand offers extra resistance, which in turn burns more calories. And the bonus: You can cool off in the water when you’re done.
5. Offer Your Services: Volunteering for a community service project is a great way to add some activity to your day, while helping improve your community. Help to build a home with Habitat for Humanity, or work to clean up a park in your neighborhood. Volunteer Match can help you get started by providing volunteer information and listings in your local community.
