Heart-healthy cardio is a key ingredient for a long-life, but it’s good to mix up our time in the gym. There’s no need to stare lazily over the top of the treadmill when the sun is shining and the outdoors are calling our names. Summer is the perfect opportunity to take advantage of the many outdoor activities that contribute to active lifestyles.
There’s no need to take-up training for a marathon, but take a lesson from those who do, as they happen to be on the right track. Run, swim, bike is the perfect go-to combination for a toned and healthy glow.
If you’re used to running on the treadmill, start with a jog around a log park, or a lake. Most cities have tracks specifically for runners.
If you’re not an avid bicyclist—start somewhere where the traffic won’t slow your roll as maneuvering about busy city streets can sometimes turn a new biker off to the whole experience. Choose a route a stick to it. Bicycling is a great workout and something you can easily enjoy with friends. Whether you take a light easy ride, or engage in some fast-based serious cardio exercise, biking offers all of the benefits of an intense cardio workout—sustained elevated heart rate, calorie burn, muscle toning and active physical movement—with minimal impact.
Finally swim outdoors. Some people consider swimming the best work out of all. Whether in your own pool, your neighbors, or if you’re blessed to live near some swimmable body of water, your time in the water will be time well spent. Swimming is another low impact workout that gives you a long and lean body, is good for quieting busy minds, and it doesn’t matter if you freestyle, backstroke, or do the butterfly.
-Arianna Schioldager
