This summer, take some time to rev up your workout. Make a new playlist and clean up your exercise equipment. Renew that gym membership. Take time to find fitness opportunities, because there are a lot of them! Here are ten fun suggestions, some for the mobile and some for the less mobile.
- Take some wild pictures of yourself doing active things for your Spark Page. Snap a few photos of yourself acting silly and running through the sprinkler with the kids, playing tag or walking the long treks of a zoo or amusement park. Get the souvenir photo where everyone is screaming on their way down on the ride!
- Aqua-cise. Yes, water is the perfect place to go for a low impact ouch-less workout and it's fun, too. Check with your local YMCA for lower-fee classes or even with your doctor to see if some classes are covered by insurance for a particular physical issue you may be having. Often times they will be covered under water physical therapy. Still, even without a class, water is a blast to play and work out in. I love going to water parks. The swimming and the balancing combined with the walking make it a great workout.
- Rock it out! Rock in your rocking chair as fast as you can. Dance in your bed or on your feet or even a stability ball. Crank up the tunes and let yourself go! Live out your rock star dreams through your workout. Make some moves, get out the Wii Dance Revolution and Rock Band games, and bring it on!
- Get an arm bike or a regular bike and take it to the great outdoors to pedal. The fresh air will do you good and the sun's mood-boosting abilities will chase the blues away. An arm bike that can be used by foot or hand is best. Some of the bikes have gaming gear with them so that they turn off the TV or computer if you stop peddling. They also have scenic routes to follow along on your computer in flight or on the road.
- Gardening can be a great way to get in touch with nature, grow fresh produce for your healthy lifestyle and relax. Container gardening is getting more popular, and it's great for limited space or for setting on tables for those who can't bend down as easily.
- Walking with yourself, another, or a walking club can be inspiring, especially if you have a pedometer. Pedometers challenge us by giving us distance, steps, and calories burned. Once you know how far you've gone, you get spurred on to make it a little further. For those of us who can't walk without help, wheeled walkers with seats are available and even have baskets to carry some water and a snack.
- Pedal boating is fun and a great way to enjoy nature and the water with family, friends, or by yourself. These boats are small and contain one to four seats. The passengers propel paddles through the water to move the boat. My college friends and I used to play on them and take super soaker water guns and shoot at each other, which required fast pedaling maneuvers. It kept our minds off of the exercise aspect! Since it is a seated activity, it is easier for those who cannot stand for long periods and you can rest when you choose and enjoy the scenery.
- Geocaching is a new form of entertainment where you go hiking while searching for a hidden item with your smart phone. Finding the item might be tricky and often requires climbing and hiking over long distances. The hunt is on!
- Try the Pounds for the Pound program. You can walk their dogs and give them love while they are waiting for their forever home. Both of you get exercise and happy memories.
- A new home DVD like Coach Nicole's 28-Day Boot Camp can add some zip to your usual routine. Think you are too heavy for DVDs? Look at what you want to do at Amazon.com and then type ''plus size'' after it. You will find things like chair exercises, dancing, Heavyweight Yoga, plus sized Pilates and more.
Whatever you choose to do this summer, make it fun and active. There are so many choices out there!
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