Eight Summer Workouts for Fitness Amateurs

Everyone wants to be a little fitter. For a lot of people, summer is the ideal time: pleasant weather, outdoor activities, and for younger people, summer vacation! Generally, there are two types of exercise most people do: cardio and strength training. Cardio is all about improving one's overall endurance, heart health, speed, and lungpower. Strength training often refers to weightlifting, but it can be anything that improves the strength and/or endurance of your muscles. As for summer and being outdoors, whatever you choose is more likely to value speed over strength, but not always. I'll go over some excellent cardio workouts and then some workouts that will work your muscles. Best of all, you don't have to be a fitness guru to enjoy some or all of the exercises I suggest here.

Summer Cardio Workouts:

1. Playing Sports
It's a no-brainer, perhaps, but it should be pointed out that almost every sport is based on running. For fitness, nothing is better than a heated game of basketball, football, tennis, etc. Not only is it easy to keep playing out of sheer enjoyment, but for those people that like to do things with others, a sport fulfills both fitness and the need for social interaction, and is perfect for summer.

2. Taking a walk / running
Of course, there's no reason not to take a pleasant stroll around the neighborhood or a park. Running is great for gaining endurance and improving your heart rate and lungpower, but it isn't for everyone. Summer is often the best time, but in hotter places it's smart to do it in the early morning or late evening to avoid overheating. A lot of people who run also bring along their iPods and listen to music.

3. Jump roping / outdoor trampoline
Fun outdoor activities like jump roping or bouncing on the trampoline definitely qualify as excellent cardio workouts in summer, and are also appropriate for younger children. It can be a good workout if you are decent at jump roping, and for those who aren't so coordinated, you can enjoy a trampoline. These are also good activities to do with others, including parents with their kids.

4. Watersports
The best time to go surfing or swimming is summer! Swims in outdoor pools and at the beach are among the most attractive options for a summer workout. There are all sorts of water-related activities for summer, such as jet skiing, wakeboarding, surfing, and kayaking. Consider these if you want endurance, because there is hardly a moment in the water when you're not working hard. This doubles as an excellent workout for your muscles.

Summer Strength Workouts:

1. Hiking
While it will help your heart and lungs, hiking is very much an activity that you will feel in your legs. This is an engaging activity that can be done with friends or family. It doubles as a chance to explore local wilderness, and it suits summer well. Frequent summer hikes will certainly improve the definition of your leg muscles, most visibly your calves.

2. Biking
This is similar to swimming, in that it really is a dual-workout. However, long bike rides are very challenging workouts for the leg muscles. Bike rides will give some tone to your legs and drastically increase your leg muscle endurance if done frequently. This will doubtlessly improve your cardiovascular health as well, and it can be one of the most enjoyable outdoor activities in the summer.

3. Playing on the Playground
Although this is aimed towards children, it doesn't stop adults from taking a hint and doing similar exercises. Specifically, playground equipment like jungle gyms and swings will improve arm and leg strength. Playgrounds are ideal destinations during summer months, and are good places to play with your kids.

4. Yardwork
Ha, you thought all outdoor exercise was fun! Admittedly, pulling weeds is boring and tiresome, but it also is a good workout for your arms. The same goes for pruning, pushing the lawnmower around, shoveling dirt, using the scuffle hoe, lugging around a hose, and numerous other lawn-maintenance activities. This is a workout that will not only please you with stronger muscles and greater endurance, but will also impress the neighbors and that pesky Homeowner's Association. It's a win-win!

As you have read, there are a lot of activities that you can do in the summer to improve your overall health. It may seem like I had to stretch to come up with strength training workouts, but most of the cardio you do will build up strength as well. I just wanted to come up with activities that emphasize strength. And don't forget that some indoor exercises like crunches, push-ups, and wall sits are perfectly possible outdoors in the summer sun. See my article on indoor exercises for more information about them and others.

I never like to leave everyone with tips on working out hard without reminding them about proper safety. I'll be brief: Have water with you. Summer is often great for outdoor exercise, but because of the heat, you need to stay hydrated. Along with that, keep a snack handy. Don't stare at the sun; that will hurt your eyes. Finally, don't work yourself out too hard. If you feel yourself getting light-headed or unusually lethargic, head indoors and cool off.

Hopefully this gives you some ideas about ways to stay fit during the summer. Maybe I'll see you on the trail!