Make the beach your gym!

Spring is here and Summer is just around the corner! As the weather gets warmer, it becomes more tempting to forego the gym and head to the beach instead. Why not have the best of both worlds and enjoy the sun while doing some exercise?

Swimming is fantastic cardiovascular exercise and by combining breaststroke, freestyle, backstroke and even butterfly, you will work all your major muscle groups at the same time. Even simply splashing around in deep water, or playing a game of footy in the shallows can offer a good workout and lots of fun! (Don’t forget your sunblock and to swim between the flags).

If you want to add something to the workout, or aren’t confident swimming at the beach, try sand running. Sand running is easier on the joints than running on pavement, burns more calories, and is great for strengthening and the lower body. Remember to wear training shoes and choose moist, semi-firm sand when running to avoid injury.

Next time you’re at the beach, give this workout a try:

BRONZED BEACH BODY WORKOUT

– Lightly jog along the beach for 2 minutes to increase the heart rate and warm up your muscles and joints.

– Jump in the water and complete 50 strokes of either breaststroke , freestyle, backstroke or butterfly.

– Head back to the sand and complete an all-out sprint, as fast and far as you can, then jog back. (If there’s a sand dune, try running up it).

– Complete another 50 strokes of your choice of swimming style.

– Sprint approximately 100m, drop and complete 10-20 push ups (on your knees if you’re unable to do them on your toes), sprint back to the start and repeat two more times. (i.e. 6 sprints and 30-60 push ups in total).

– Cool down with a 5 minute sand jog, and don’t forget to stretch!

You could also add lunges, squats, crunches, burpees or any other body weight exercises to the workout. Have fun!!

Felicity.