Put the Beach on Your HIIT List: Creative Ways to Keep Fit on Vacation

There is plenty of beach time left this summer. Spending a week on the sand is no reason to stop your workout routine. FIT36 trainers, Steve Kopshaw and Jody Hutchings, show us how to make the beach your personal gym.

Ahhhh, the beach! You finally made it. You’ve worked hard for that vacation on the beach. Maybe you’ve even lost weight and spent hours in the gym to get beach body ready. While some people look at vacation as a time to relax and regenerate, others like to fill their vacation time with adventure and overindulgence. Regardless of your vacation proclivities, with a little creativity, you don’t have to feel guilty about abandoning your fitness program at home. The beach has the perfect environment for high intensity interval training with sand that provides great resistance, lots of sun-kissed vitamin D and an ocean to keep body temperatures cool.

“HIIT on the beach is a great way to get your endorphins going without losing momentum and giving up on your progress,” says Steve Kopshaw, owner and personal trainer at FIT36® in Waldwick, N.J.

HIIT on the beach is a great way to get your endorphins going without losing momentum and giving up on your progress.

Steve Kopshaw, FIT36 owner and personal trainer

A seriously burning HIIT session can be accomplished on the beach without equipment and in little time. Use these tips when planning your beach HIIT session:

·       In as little as 10 to 20 minutes, HIIT on the beach can burn calories and provide great results

·       Work out in short bursts of high intensity exercise for about 30 seconds to a minute

·       Follow each short burst of work with 15- to 30-seconds of rest before pushing hard again

·       The hard-hitting workouts can involve sprinting, push-ups, squats, burpees and walking lunges

·       Try incorporating anything that requires resistance in the sand to get your heart rate up

“It’s all about being creative with your surroundings,” adds Jody Hutchings, a personal trainer at FIT36® in Virginia Beach. “Some beaches have workout areas; you can do step ups on benches, add a beach ball to your workout or use the sand to create resistance.”

The biggest takeaway is to make yourself a priority and get the job done quickly. Vacationers can really exercise anywhere. Take creative license with what you have at the beach and don’t miss a fitness beat. Keep the momentum going and return home feeling refreshed, invigorated and guilt-free.

Source: FIT36

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