outdoor summer activities to keep fit

It’s summertime and, let’s face it, you may not want to spend your daylight hours in the florescent lighting of a climate controlled commercial gym. Yet, you have health goals, and you like to stay active. So, what can you do to maintain your fitness during summer when you don’t want to hit the gym?

For those of you involved in a sport, playing that sport as much as possible is the best option to stay fit and in shape. If you’re looking for something new and exciting to keep you fit, healthy, and outside then here are some fun activities for you to try!

Bouldering

Bouldering, a sport for the adventurous, is the art of climbing obstacles shorter than 20-feet, without using ropes. The sport came out of the mountaineering scene in the 1800’s and was a way for climbers to train their technique and conditioning with low risk. Bouldering is a full-body workout that favours the use of the arms and back muscles. Like rock climbing, this is a great way to build a strong upper body and a crushing grip.

Backpacking and Hiking

Backpacking is the quintessential summer adventure sport. Backpacking is hiking while carrying a backpack (generally with a camping component); while hiking is any sort of backcountry walking. With a little planning a backpacking or hiking trip is both accessible and an excellent way to stay active in the great outdoors! Backpacking is a total-body workout, especially if you use trekking-poles which allow you to use the muscles of your upper body while backpacking. Backpacking, and hiking, are a great way to improve your cardio, build stamina in your legs, and train your core. A long steady hike will improve your cardiovascular conditioning, and hiking hills or in short – intense – sprints will improve your anaerobic fitness.

Plogging

We all know that running and jogging are great exercises for improving your cardiovascular fitness, but they’re a bit…. boring. Why not add some spice you’re your workout and give plogging a try! Plogging is a Swedish invention that is the act of picking up litter while jogging. The name comes from combining the Swedish term “plockka up” – which translates to “pick up” – and ‘jogging’. As the trash bag gets heavier, the more calories you burn because the run gets harder! This is a great way to stay in shape and do your part for your local environment.

Qi Gong

Not everyone is going to want a real intense workout. Sometimes, you may want to just move with mindfulness. Qi Gong has been practiced for over 4000-years and is a branch of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Primarily, it is a form of moving meditation. The practice involves fluid movements performed standing on the feet. You could consider it standing yoga.
Even though the fine weather and fresh air may keep you from your normal workouts in the gym, there are plenty of options to keep your hard-earned fitness during the summer months. So, head outside and give one of these a try!