Warmer weather exercises

The warmer parts of the year are a fantastic time to take advantage of the outdoors (or indoors) for exercising. Here are our picks for the best exercises to take part in.

Water exercises

Exercising in the water is a fantastic way to workout, it takes the pressure off your joints, you need to use your muscles to push against the resistance of the water, and it’s a wonderful way to stay cool when the temperatures outside are climbing. Swimming is the most obvious choice, but if you can’t swim, simply walk laps up and down a shallow lane in a pool. Water aerobics classes are generally appropriate for all ages and fitness levels, and is especially great for older individuals, those with injuries or joint pain, or pregnant women. Another fantastic choice is deep water running classes- a floatation device around your ribs keeps your floating off the pool floor, and requires extra calorie burning as you can’t push off the ground to propel yourself forward as you complete your exercises.

Walking

Take advantage of the great outdoors, explore new walking trails, walk to the shops rather than drive, take day trips and sightsee. If it’s really hot, there’s a particularly pleasant way to get your steps in for the day- go shopping! You don’t have to buy anything, but walking around a cool air conditioned shopping centre and checking out what’s around with a friend can be a very fun way to spend a few hours! If you push a trolley you get extra points for added resistance training, and can be used like a walker if you need some extra balance or something to lean on.

Take advantage of the sunlight

Group exercises in a park, a game of tennis with friends, cricket in the backyard with the kids. The longer hours of sunlight mean more time you can get outside and have fun! It’s also often a lot easier to talk yourself into a workout when the sun is out, and a lot harder when it’s dark outside! This means mornings and afternoons/early evenings are extra bonus hours you can be getting active!