Staying fit at all times can mean working out while you’re on vacation. Try this great workout on the beach to spice up your routine and add that extra burst of energy to your day!
You can use a bench to do advanced Step-Ups. The foot stays planted on the the bench and the body straight, hands on hips as you lift up and lower yourself back down repeatedly with the same leg. Beginners try a lower step. Repeat 10 to 20 times per leg
Running on different surfaces gives your legs a different workout. You can run on the paved beach path, soft sand, hard sand or even stretches of grass. The pavement is easier for most people, but harder on the joints.
Side Stepping is good for inner and outer thighs. The lines in the pavement are a nice marker for setting goals. Try three blocks in one direction, then turn and face the other side and repeat. For a harder workout, do your sidestepping in the sand
There are about ten 3-4 flight stairways from the beach to the bluff between Downtown and the Belmont Pier. You can run, walk, or double step. Some have sand between the beach path and stairs. After the Junipero parking lot, access to the stairs is paved.
The low wall along the Junipero Street parking lot is great for stretches and push ups. Justin check’s April’s form doing push ups on the wall. This is a good spot for transitioning to hard sand running because the ocean is just a few feet away.
You can do lunge walking on the pavement or on the sand, but this stretch of green grass provides a nice change of surface. Try to bend your foreward leg to a 90 degree angle with each step, being careful not to push your knee ahead of your foot.
A mural over what used to be a tunnel provides a nice background for this isometric wall sit to work the quads. Place your back and shoulders flat against the wall in a sitting position with your legs bent at a 90 degree angle. Keep your chin lifted.
Justin and April do tricep dips on a bench at the Flight of the Egrets mural by Long Beach artist Jane Boyd. For beginners, start with your knees at a 90 degree angle. For a more advanced workout, move your feet further out (credit).
These are great activities to do at the beach, but don’t limit these exercises to vacations. These exercises can be used in your home as well as the gym. Keep in mind, that when you are on vacation, any activity is GOOD activity. Keep your food intake under control. If you are going to be eating something that you usually wouldn’t, then make sacrfices in other meals to make up for the excess calories and fat.
Adria Ali
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