Summer is now in full swing and many of you are heading off to the beach and enjoying the sun! Others as I can only imagine are tending to their yards, making epic plans to BBQ, or engaging in other outdoor activities without worrying too much about cold rainy weather. What a difference warm weather makes in terms of the buzz of outdoor activity and how easy the transition of getting outside the gym may be for all of us… In the wake of this mid-summer ideal weather, those who do not live in warm temperatures year round should start taking advantage of what nature has to offer before the weather turns.  Not only is nature a great workout, but it’s also a release of daily life indoors and a chance to revisit that child-like curious mentality by getting in some outside fun.  Being outside allows us to ‘unplug’ to ‘plug in.’ What I mean is that there is an opportunity to most definitely connect to our surroundings but more importantly get in tune with ourselves.  With the kids being off of school and plenty of vacation days to burn, maybe it’s time to book that summer vacay and start exploring some adventurous destinations. 

Since I’ve moved to California, I have never done so many new outdoor activities—this coming from a Midwest, flatlands native.  SoCal living has allowed me to participate in  multiple hikes where I get to explore the great city that I live in and see breathtaking views of LA from all types of perspectives.  Hiking on trails is a low impact way I can get my aerobic exercise that won’t put heavy stress on my joints and gives me that mental stress reliever that I need to decompress.  The constant change in elevations and terrain works every muscle and helps build cardiovascular health, and mental toughness.  I always seem to be reminded of my hike the next day due to soreness in places I never knew existed! In addition to hiking, I’ve also conquered several different staircases around the city, which never seems to get any easier. I’ve also tackled the challenge of trying to surf 3-5ft waves and I’m determined to practice riding the waves in order to consistently get up on to my feet.  And to top off the nature portion of the plethora of outside activities one could possibly participate in LA, this weekend I will be participating in an obstacle race, which consists of running 5 miles with interspersed obstacles along the way such as jumping over parked cars, climbing over walls, crawling under netted cargo, etc.  If this race doesn’t unleash that inner child in me, I’m not sure what else would. Being outdoors is a great change of pace that is often overlooked.  And my latest challenge was doing the Sand Dunes in Manhattan Beach, which is a steep hill made of all sand.  It might have been the hardest workout I’ve done outside so far, and I will definitely never look at sand the same again.

I am very fortunate to work at a gym and for a boss that share the same passion for fitness and the outdoors as me.  Paradiso Crossfit is known for developing your skills inside the gym so that you can use your fitness for activities outside of it and on a daily basis.  I am able to get involved in things I have never tried before and that I never had the opportunity to do in Ohio.  My gym has weekly Surfing, rock climbing, Beach workouts, Swim nights, and Track workouts.  They recently added Ultimate Frisbee and sand volleyball to the schedule so we are able to release that child that lives inside of us all and being able to get back to ‘playing’. These activities are in addition to the events you can do inside the gym such as daily WODs, and Barbell Club.  And if you are banged up a little from all your activity, they also offer Physical Therapy and rehab with the one of the best PTs around.  This gym is definitely a one stop shop, and I am truly blessed to be a part of it.   If you are ever in the Venice or Marina Del Rey area of California, this gym should be placed at the top of your list to visit.  However you choose to view this, yeah it’s a bit of a plug I admit, but I LOVE my box! Anyways, getting back to the subject at hand…

As a trainer, I have to be very flexible with my schedule and cater towards what is best for my client.  Many of them I train by not even setting foot inside a gym.  I meet them at the local park and we end up using everything and anything that is around.  Many will attest that my imagination is quiet big and never ending.  Where someone may view a child’s playground as a place of asylum they used to frequent growing up, I look at it as a goldmine of infinite exercise options!  I tend to receive many colorful comments after these training sessions–my clients feed into my innovative nature and say they will never look at a swing the same way again. There is usually no need for any equipment, unlimited space for group classes if need be, and really sky’s the limit for how much fun we can have in making the park/playground transform in a fitness palace.  Your own body is all you really need for a great workout.  If you are not convinced of this, you must not have tried doing 7 minutes of burpees, multiple rounds of pushups, jump squats, and pull-ups.  Over the years by having my clients train outdoors, I’ve found our sessions to be more enjoyable and upbeat.  I swear, that Vitamin D is some powerful motivational drug!

For an outdoor enthusiast, the best workout program involves strength training, interval training, power endurance, and outdoor endurance training.  The goal is to become stronger and have this strength last for extended periods of time.  Developing strength and endurance can be quite mentally taxing but it’s the variety and creativity that adds depth in achieving such stamina. Training is all about having fun, challenging yourself, engaging in healthy fitness activity with family and friends, and even taking time to go solo to appreciate nature.  Try spicing things up this summer and venture outdoors for some varying perspective.  You may even surprise yourself with how fun working out can be when you add a lil’ of that Vitamin D into the mix!