Sweatin’ in the Sunshine Creative Workouts You Can Do Outside This Summer
As the summer sun begins to beat down, your excuses to avoid working out go up in smoke. Not only does the heat provide more opportunities to get out and sweat, it also gives you a chance to get creative with your exercise routine. Here are some ways to mix it up and get outdoors. Take advantage of hills. According to Fitness Magazine, a study from California Pacific Orthopedic and Sports Medicine found that “outdoor exercisers lost an average of 7.43 pounds and 6.17 percent of body fat in eight weeks” due to the constant challenge of “inclines, declines and obstacles.” Instead of ramping up your treadmill, find a hill around your home. Ideally, you want the incline to be between a 6- and 8-percent grade. After a thorough warmup, do a series of all-out sprints up the length of the hill, recovering on your walk back down. Try the park bench press. Next time your daily jog leads you into the local park, find a sturdy park bench. The elevated nature of the bench makes it perfect for all sorts of body-weight exercises. The possibilities are endless. Try doing squats, double- and single-leg, using the bench as a support. Then, sit on the bench with your hands on either side of your hips. Slide your rear off the bench, supporting yourself with your hands, and do 12 to 15 dips, bending your elbows up and down. To get your cardio in, do a series of
step-ups to the bench, followed by box jumps. Then you can continue your jog as a cool-down.
In the sun, all yoga becomes hot yoga. Yoga is already excellent for increasing flexibility and strength, but add the heat of the summer sun and it becomes even more effective. Set up your yoga mat anywhere the sun beats down and start your favorite yoga routine. Switch positions slightly faster than you would in a normal session — this will add a cardio-boosting element to your yoga practice and will increase blood flow, compounding the positive effects of every stretch.
SUCCESS STORIES
“When I started physical therapy six weeks ago, though my pain wasn’t severe, it was troublesome. I thought it wasn’t keeping me from doing things, but now that I am pain-free, I see that there were many things I wasn’t doing. I had no energy to do half the things I’m doing now. “Julian and Shannon are fabulous. Both of them took the time to get to know me and what hurt. Shannon is an amazing person and actually got me to a point where I looked forward to those elbow massages! I will actually miss them. Thank you!”
“When I came to Focus Physical Therapy, I was experiencing a lot of pain on my right side from my neck to my knee. My hip flexors were on fire and incredibly tight. That region of my body is the most improved. Before I came to Focus, walking was difficult; I felt a lot of resistance in the hip area. Now, walking is relatively pain-free. What I like the most about Focus is their philosophy on movement. The exercises given are designed to strengthen forward and lateral movements. I do feel more flexible now. My therapist, Ming, truly wanted me to feel better and tried to address all my issues.”
- Deanne Moscrop
- Judith Fike
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