As the weather warms up, take your work-out outside.
Winter is almost over! Yay! That means the sun's out and it's time to ditch the gym and start working out in the fresh air again! Here are five easy-peasy ways to work out in the great outdoors!
You (or that layer of fat that's embedded itself on your stomach) have a hankering for exercise? Give these a whirl!
Frisbee
The first thing that seems to spring to mind when people say "frisbee" is the image of oh-so-cool twenty-somethings relaxing and effortless flicking that plastic disk on a green lawn. In reality, the act of frisbee-ing is a little more spastic, but a lot more fun! Combatting the wind and your friends' awful throwing skills will mean you'll find yourself diving, turning, sprinting and generally doing everything within your power to stop the frisbee hitting the ground. It's super-fun and you'll be amazed to find that you've worked up a sweat and all that twisted is fabulous for your abs!
Swimming
Talk about stating the obvious, but swimming is awesome in the summer! Aside from the cooling down factor, your legs and arms will be so toned you'll rival Lara Croft! The most effective way to put all your muscles into gear is through free-style, but if you have trouble breathing, give backstroke a go, but concentrate on keeping your arms and legs straight, as it's very easy to go lopsided.
Join a team
While winter sports teams tend to be a little bit intimidating in their seriousness and pressure, often netball, soccer and even hockey have summer leagues which are way more social so you need far less hand-eye co-ordination. Being part of a sports team is a great way to break up your monotonous gym routine, and you'll definitely turn up as otherwise you'll feel guilty for letting the team down. Plus, there may well be a beverage or two after the game ...
Swing ball
Get back to your joyful childhood roots with by grabbing a paddle and digging out your ancient swing ball set! Basically, swing ball is a ball on a rope attached to a pole that you hit and it goes round and round. Simple right? And there are two big plusses: the harder you whack it, the more muscles your arms are working out and you don't have to spend hours fishing the ball out of the bushes.
Hit the dance floor
No more hybernating inside with DVDs on a Friday night! It's summer and it's light outside, so put on a pretty dress and go shake your ass somewhere. Even just walking in high heels works out your calves and makes your legs leaner, and then when you start dancing, you'll be upping your cardio workout by 10-fold!
By Cleo Staff
