One of my favorite things about summer is taking my fitness routine outside and bringing my family and friends in on the fun.
It doesn't matter if you’re visiting the lake, the beach or staying home with the kids this season, you can do a workout just like this one in less than 30 minutes.
All you need to get a great workout in is some open space and your own body weight—and maybe some good tunes too!
When creating outdoor circuits, I try to incorporate upper body, lower body and core movement. Push-ups or modified push-ups using a park bench, for example, are great for the upper body. Simple lunges take care of the lower body. Add a lunge-hop at the end to kick it up a notch, and, this may be new to you, a leopard crawl—a slow crawl on all fours with your limbs bent, booty down. Last, but not least, walkouts to plank, which recruit upper, lower and core. Your goal is to complete three rounds. First round, complete each exercise five times. Second round, 10 times. Third round, 15 times.
This workout will leave you feeling energized and ready to enjoy the rest of your summer day. These are easy for kids to do too, so feel free to make it a family event on your holiday weekend.
How else do I enjoy a healthy lifestyle during a holiday weekend or summer?
- Stay Hydrated! With it heating up here in Texas, I recommend 1.5-2x your normal amount of water intake when you are spending more time outside in the heat or if you will be eating or drinking things you don’t normally have in abundance. (Adding a little mineral salt or electrolyte powder to your drink will help keep you extra hydrated.)
- Walking—When we’re traveling my husband, our boys and I love to explore the area we are staying in with some family walks. While at home, we take nightly family walks when it starts to cool off. It increases our movement for the day and we get to have some quality, present family time.
- Fill up on sustenance foods. I love a pool or lakeside salty snack or dip as much as the next gal, but also love feeling energized and full from the foods I eat (and those foods don't always do it for me). I try to fill up most of my day with fruits, vegetables and grilled proteins, and then have a few snacks and cocktails here and there.
A salad I love on a hot summer day and is a hit at BBQs is my quinoa, blueberry and feta salad. You could serve this up with chips and use it as a dip or grill up some chicken and asparagus and you have a whole meal. My go-to summer snack is sliced-up Jicama with some Tajin sprinkled on and a squeeze of lime.
I hope you give this workout a try and have an amazing, fit 4th of July with friends and family.
Quinoa Blueberry and Feta Salad
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
- 1/2 cup feta
- 1/3 cup sliced walnuts
- 1 cup blueberries
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- Zest of one lemon
- 2 tablespoons parsley
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Pepper to taste
In a bowl, add quinoa, parsley and spinach. To make the dressing, whisk olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and zest together. Add the dressing to the quinoa mix. Lightly toss the blueberries, walnuts and feta. Enjoy!
Learn more healthy habits by visiting lyngsofit.com.