Summer is for sunshine, fresh air, and embracing the great outdoors. But whether you’re heading out on vacation, spending time with your friends at a local park, or just strolling through your neighbourhood, you don’t have to leave your fitness routine behind.
With the right mindset and a little creativity, you can get an effective, full-body workout without needing to lock yourself in the gym or invest in fancy equipment. Try some of these simple hacks to bring your workout on the go, no matter where your summer adventures take you.
1. Pack Light (or Skip the Gear Entirely)
Simplicity is key when you’re out and about, but that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice a solid sweat. With just a few lightweight, portable pieces of equipment (think resistance bands, a jump rope, or a compact kettlebell), you can target and work all major muscle groups. However, if even this is more than you want to think about as you’re rushing out the door, you’ve already got your most versatile training tool at hand: your beautiful body.Hack: Pair resistance bands with bodyweight exercises for a full-body workout, anywhere and anytime. Wrap the band around a stable object (or under your feet) for added resistance while performing squats, chest presses, or rows. Jump ropes are a great cardio option that travel well, too; just a few minutes of jumping can raise your heart rate and improve endurance. Alternatively, bodyweight exercises like push-ups, squats, lunges, and mountain climbers can stand alone to create a killer workout that needs no equipment at all.
Pro Tip: You can mix and match bodyweight exercises with resistance band exercises to keep things fresh and effective. Try doing 30 seconds of squats with a resistance band, followed by 30 seconds of jump squats, and repeat for a balanced, muscle-building session.
2. Turn the World Into Your Gym
Whether you’re at the beach, in a park, or out exploring a new city, the world offers tons of natural equipment for you to play with, like benches, stairs, curbs, and even trees. Get creative about how to use your surroundings to your advantage and add some variety to your workout.Hack: Use a park bench for tricep dips, incline push-ups, or step-ups. If you’re near a set of stairs, try doing stair sprints for a cardio boost or stair lunges to target your legs and glutes. Sand on the beach is a great way to throw in some resistance training and engage deep muscles. You can even use a sturdy tree branch for pull-ups or bodyweight rows if you’re looking for some upper-body challenge.
Pro Tip: Don’t overthink it! Everyday objects like benches, walls, or even large rocks can serve as tools to challenge your strength, balance, and coordination. If it helps, you can imagine the world as a playground and have fun while getting some exercise in.
3. Seize the Moment for HIIT
Not having time when you’re on the move isn’t really an excuse. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) can wreck you (in a good way) and is one of the best methods to get a full-body workout in a short amount of time. It’s all about brief bursts of intense effort, followed by a short rest, with the average HIIT workout only lasting about 20 minutes.Hack: Create a mini HIIT routine that you can do basically anywhere. A great combo might include 30 seconds of jump squats, 30 seconds of push-ups, 30 seconds of mountain climbers, and 30 seconds of rest. Repeat this circuit 3-5 times, and you’ll have an efficient workout that’s perfect for the beach or your local park.
Pro Tip: Short and regular workouts are highly effective, and a great way to psych ourselves out of the belief that we don’t have time to get our heart pumping.
4. Get Stretchy
Yoga is a fantastic way to improve flexibility, balance, and mental clarity, all of which are important when you’re balancing a busy summer schedule. Plus, it’s easy to do just about anywhere, even in the sand or on a grassy hill.Hack: Memorize a quick yoga flow that you can do while you’re waiting for your friends to finish up their beach volleyball game or after a long hike. Start with some basic sun salutations to warm up your body, then move into poses like downward dog, warrior II, and tree pose for strength, balance, and flexibility.
Pro Tip: Add some deep breathing into your practice. It’ll help calm your mind and reduce any tension accumulated from travel or your hectic summer schedule.
5. Use Your Feet
It’s very simple, but one of the most effective ways to stay fit while on the go is to incorporate as much walking into your daily schedule as possible. Not only does it get your heart rate up, but it also allows you to explore new places and enjoy nature while you exercise. Discovering a new city? Camping close to some hiking trails? Going out for dinner in a new area? Walk, walk and (you guessed it) walk!Hack: If you’re near the beach, walk or jog along the shoreline for a low-impact cardio workout that challenges your calves, hamstrings, and core. If you’re hiking, take a slightly steeper trail for more intensity, or use trekking poles to engage your upper body. You can mix it up by doing intervals, walking at a moderate pace for 3 minutes, then sprinting for 30 seconds. Repeat throughout your walk or hike.
Pro Tip: Bring a friend along for motivation, or download a fitness app with step counters and distance trackers to see how many steps you get in for a little personal challenge.
6. Social Creatures
Summer is the time for socializing, and what better way to stay motivated than by turning your workout into a social event? Whether you’re at the beach, park, or in your neighbourhood, getting friends involved makes your workout even more fun.Hack: Organize an outdoor fitness meetup with friends or family. You can do partner workouts like wheelbarrow races, relay sprints, or tag-team squats. Beach volleyball, frisbee, or even a friendly competition of tug-of-war can all give you a solid workout while keeping things light-hearted and social.
Pro Tip: Keep it friendly and fun and make sure everyone of all fitness levels feels included. The more you laugh and encourage each other, the less it’ll feel like a workout.
Conclusion
Summer is short, but the days are long. As busy as we can get during this season, with a little creativity and regularity, you don’t have to sacrifice your fitness goals. In the end, your body doesn’t care if you’re in a gym or on a patch of grass by the road – it just wants to move.Staying active is a choice you make, over and over, in every season of life. Show up for yourself, even in small ways, and watch the results add up.
IN COLLABORATION
Kristine Mitchell is a freelance journalist whose work explores global culture, creative expression and patterns she observes in the world around her.
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