It’s still summer, though barely, and the days are too beautiful to spend inside at the gym. If you are sick of your typical routine at the gym, kick it up a notch by adding in some water sports. You will have so much fun doing it that you won’t even notice you’re exercising!

• Paddle Boarding: Paddle boarding or stand up paddle surfing originated in Hawaii, where they call it “Hoe he’e nalu”. For this sport, you need a long surfboard, a paddle, and obviously some body of water. It’s much easier to paddle on flat water, and it’s easiest to learn this on a calm day. Here in Miami, you can rent boards at 24th Street in Miami Beach and a lot of other beaches in specific spots, and the trend is on other coasts too. You can rent the boards for an hour. One of the reasons I enjoy the sport is because you don’t notice you’re exercising, and you can enjoy the ocean, the view, and the sea creatures swimming underneath you. Paddle boarding may deceptively look like that it’s all arm strength, but it’s actually about initiating your core and using your legs to balance. Keep your back straight and know you’re going to fall a few times before you get the hang it!
• Surfing: You can also rent a board to try this sport out. It burns 500-800 calories in an hour with all the paddling out and quick bursts of energy necessary for the sport. Take a lesson and see how you like it- it can be a fun way to burn calories and improve your balance and strength.
• Wakeboarding: So your friend has a boat he wants you to go out on, right? Lucky! While you’re enjoying the ride and possibly some food, try wakeboarding. You can potentially burn around 400 calories an hour trying this sport, which works your back, core, legs, and chest.
• Swimming: You don’t need any equipment for this one, and it’s one of the best workouts around. Just swimming can burn a ton of calories!

If you’re in Miami, give these guys a look:
http://www.hirookasurfandsport.com/