One of my favorite things about the summer is enjoying the beautiful outdoors, especially beaches! I was so surprised when I moved to Chicago to find that there are beaches in the city, and that they are really nice. On really hot days, it is great to be able to cool off in the water, or relax by the beach. Early mornings on the beach are so peaceful and quiet, and a great time to do an outdoor workout!
Here are some ideas of moves to do on the beach for a workout. You could either do this as intervals and do each move for 30-45 seconds, or you could do a set number of each move (try for 16 of each).
Be prepared to get sandy and become one with the waves!
The "around the world" squat and lunge series after the high knees can be done with a few variations, and I tried to show a few of these. You can come back to a squat before the lunge if you want, and if you don't want to jump after each side, you can just stand up or rise to your toes. You can do whatever feels most natural with your arms. If you are doing this at home or in a gym, you could add a set of weights.
This alternating lunge with a knee to chest and spinal twist is a great way to take a scenic "long walk on the beach" while also getting in a workout!
Try to keep your lifting leg as straight as possible, and use strength and balance rather than momentum. If you find it unstable to lift the leg straight from the curtsy lunge, you can gently tap the toe in between moves, as I show at the end of the video.
The bright sun makes it difficult to tell which leg I am tapping in the plank to down dog ankle taps - bring your arm to your opposite ankle! Keep your core engaged and avoid arching your back during all these moves. For the move involving drawing your knee into your chest, first take it across towards the opposite elbow, then to the same side elbow. In the side plank at the end, you can lower down to your forearms for more stability.
I had to do crab walks on the beach of course! For the tricep push ups, keep your elbows pointed back behind you and close to your torso. For a modification, you can sit down, but keep your weight shifted back into your hands.
Then run into the water to cool off and enjoy the beauty of nature!
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