It’s that time of year when vacationers are flocking to the beach for a week of fun in the sun, relaxing by the water’s edge, napping, and perhaps enjoying a little too much good food and drink. There’s nothing wrong with that because we’re a nation of hard workers and deserve our well-earned vacations; however, our goal should be moderation – even while on vacation.
My rule is to enjoy myself, but to counter those decadent temptations with activity. We start each day with either a run or walk along the beach, and for the most part enjoy eating healthy with plenty of fruits and veggies accompanying our home-cooked dinners which usually have seafood as the focal point. And yes, a pint or two of Ben and Jerry’s might make it into our freezer, but the secret is to spread it out over time, not eat it all at once like I’d love to do.
During a recent run, I stopped to chat with Pat and Amanda. I’d met them running north as I headed south, and then later came upon them finishing up their workout with push-ups, squats, etc. We chatted for a while and they mentioned the lack of a convenient gym nearby so they were taking matters into their own hands with a beach workout. Pat is studying nutrition and Amanda is a senior in exercise science – talk about a great combo!
Next I came upon two surfers. I’ve never tried to surf, but my son Daniel has a board and took lessons while on vacation in California when he was in middle school. Surfing sounds like the ultimate core challenge, and the closest I’ll ever get is stand up paddle boarding (SUP).
These three young ladies were starting their day out right by hitting their volleyball around, and for quite some time… I saw them while heading in both directions on my run.
These three were working out hard doing squats, burpees, push-ups, and chest presses as I ran by. I stopped to say hello, but didn’t bother them for more than a minute while they caught their breath between sets.
Beach Boot Camp
If you have a dog, he just might see to it that you stay active! I saw several dogs demanding that their humans throw their Frisbees over and over to them. There’s something about dogs, the surf, and Frisbees that makes me happy!
Photo from 2014
And then I came across this cute walker recovering from knee surgery, and decided to walk with him for a mile cool-down.
I won’t mention the guy I saw having a beer at 9 AM…
- Questions:
- Do you surf?
- What’s your favorite beach activity?
- Who raced this weekend?
I did not race but am on vacation right now. I ran 3 glorious miles yesterday and hope to take some yoga classes this week!
Oh how I wish I was able to have my Labrador with me this week on vacation. She loves the beach.
I don’t think I’ve seen a happier dog than one playing in the surf! 🙂
I had so much fun trying to surf in Hawaii it ‘s hard! SUP is lots of fun too. Wish I had more opportunities to do both.
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If the creek in my back yard were larger, I’d buy a SUP. I’m thinking about trying it on Currituck Sound sometime this week.
Lots of obstacles get in the way of exercise on vacation (we’re used to overcoming the typical ones at home…). I feel even more satisfied when I exercise on vacation or while away from home because I know how much willpower/research/initiative it takes for me to get going when the conditions aren’t “normal.” I love that you saw people being active on the beach! While running along the canal in Phoenix I ended up seeing some of the same people out walking/running/biking about halfway into my run.
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Because we have a house at the beach, we’ve come to the same place for 25 years and know our way around, and that certainly makes planning activities much easier. Add to that, that it’s just Bill and me, and we don’t have to work around the schedule of anyone else, and it makes working out no big deal. The advantages of being older… 🙂
oh, i hope you are having a lovely time! we’re hoping to do a quick beach getaway before summer gets away from us!
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Believe me, we are! 😀
What a clever post! I love the beach! And being active at the beach, best gym ever! I used to surf a lot before I had kiddos now it is much harder to get out in the surf, but I still enjoy other activities at the beach.
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I admire your ability to surf! I grew up far way from the ocean, so I’m not very comfortable in the surf and could never go out far enough to catch a wave. Hope you’re able to catch some waves again soon!