Fun And Fitness For Summer Time

Now that good weather is here we really don’t have a whole lot of excuses for not getting fit again, back in shape, getting that much needed exercise but start slow. You haven’t done a whole lot all winter. From now until snow flies again you can get out there and really enjoy a whole world of fun activities that will get you in shape, help you lose that added winter weight and give you the exercise your body needs to stay healthy. It is time to get back in shape and there are a lot of fun summer sports and exercise that can help you do just that.

Once summer arrives most of us think about getting outdoors and a lot of us think of heading to the beach or lakeside. That’s a good thing and it is a great place to get some of that much needed exercise we didn’t get so much of all winter.

With the days and even the nights turning hot and humid taking a cool dip in the pool, a lake, pond, the ocean, even the river is a great way to cool down and get some wonderfully fun and good for you exercise. Swimming is right up there at the top of the list when it comes to good exercise where you don’t need any special equipment and your whole body gets a workout as well as being a refreshing way to have fun. If you aren’t a swimmer, that is okay too. You can learn and at least get in the water and splash around, cool down and have some fun. Swimming is probably one of the best exercises you can do and there is no better time for a swim than the good old summer time.

While you are around the water you might also want to do some rowing, rowboats are fun and rowing around a lake is great exercise. If you aren’t into rowing a boat, paddle a canoe or kayak. You might also enjoy some beachcombing, walk the beach to discover all those treasure left there by the tides and those who came before you. You might want to bring a metal-detector along with you.

Get out and do some walking. Walking is good exercise; actually it is one of the best. Start with a 10 or 15 minute walk and work up to an hour and add some hills and hiking. Get out there and enjoy the wonders of the world around you. You’ll be amazed what walking can do for you. You don’t need any special equipment for walking either, other than a good pair of walking shoes. If you get sick of just walking, try jogging or running for a ways.

Bicycling is another of my all time favorite summer sports. It is right up there with walking and it has wonderful health benefits as well as having fun. You can bike most anywhere and larger towns and cities often have bike paths just for this purpose. Get out there and enjoy them and if you can get out in the country and bike along some of those back country roads. Most of them are fairly well shaded from the hot summer sun and while you are enjoying your bike ride you can enjoy the world of nature around you as well.

Your backyard is a great place to get some great summer exercise and if you don’t have one available to you, you can always go to the local park and set up the badminton game or volley ball or hit the local tennis court and outdoor basketball court and shoot a little hoop; or find a space to kick a ball around, maybe play some soccer or just kickball. Play ball, it’s good exercise. Remember those games of tag, squat-tag, steal the bacon, red-light, hide and go seek, red-rover. Your kids probably have never heard of these games but they include a lot of running around, good exercise. Teach your kids these games. Even croquet or bocce ball and golf and miniature-golf are all good exercise and fun sports. How about a game of horseshoes or maybe you’d rather ride the horse instead of tossing his shoes around. Horseback riding can be fun and good exercise for you and the horse. Either way you are enjoying some summer time fun and getting a little more fit. If you aren’t into horseshoes you might enjoy quoits or jarts.

How about roller-skating or inline-skating? That is good exercise too and most bike paths welcome skaters as well, just be respectful of each other, the walkers, joggers and the bikers and other skaters; and don’t use the shopping plaza, motel, restaurant or other business parking lots to skate in. It is a good way to get hurt, seriously injured or even killed; what is more, most towns have ordinances against such practices so do your skating in designated areas. If you skate-board many of the local parks have special rinks designed just for you. Use them.

All of these can put a lot of fun into your summer and they will all help with weight maintenance, help maintain a strong and healthy cardio-vascular and pulmonary system, control blood pressure reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke, and they relieve the pain and inflammation associated with arthritis and other joint diseases. You can have fun while you are growing fit.

Summer sports, all those fun summer time activities, they’re good exercise and family fun and most of them don’t cost much of anything other than time and the willingness to get out there and do it and those that do, the cost is minimal when compared to the benefit you will gain from it. Enjoy the summer and get involved in summer sports for your good health and just for the fun of it. Make fun and fitness, enjoying summer sports, a family thing. All you need is a yard or a park, a pond, lake, river walk, or ocean side beach and the willingness to get out there and do it; and if you get too hot from all that running around, you can always go for a swim. Swimming is probably the all time favorite summer activity when it comes to summer fun and fitness. Have a happy, safe, fun and fit summer.