When you go to the beach, odds are pretty good that you go to relax. Lay on a towel, get some sun, maybe have a snack or two – make sure it’s a healthy one! But while you are relaxing by the water, there’s nothing wrong with trying to get a little exercise in while still enjoying the sand, fresh air, and surf. I went to the beach with my kids this past week, and while we all know that there’s NOTHING relaxing about that in general, I tried to spend half of the time active. I was mostly successful, thanks to the following tricks:
- Write letters in the sand with your toes. I didn’t know how much work that was on your calves – it really does work!
- Running in the sand – pick a target a little bit down from your towel and run relay races with your kids. Running in the water adds further resistance and is a great lower body workout. Even walking on the unstable sand works your legs in new and challenging ways.
- A pick-up game of volleyball will get that heart rate up and help you fit in your cardio.
- Digging a moat and building a sand castle works arms and chest in a way that you will certainly feel the next morning – I know I did!
- Many beaches rent bikes for one, two or a crowd, and some beaches rent surf boards or paddle boards – you could leave the beach more tired than when you arrived.
- Probably the most effective – swimming workouts! Even a swim of a short distance can be an amazing workout.
What are some of the ways that you fit in exercise while at the beach?