Five Tips to Improve Your Fitness This Summer

Committing to fitness is a bit easier in the summer since you can easily get outside. When warmer weather comes, you have a lot more options as to where to get your work out on. Whether it's inside our outside, here are some ideas on how to improve your fitness this summer. As always, the best time to start improving your fitness is now!

Fitness is a year-round activity for me. Summer is my favorite time to work out though, so when Adidas asked me to share my favorite ways to stay fit in the summer I had to oblige. This is not a sponsored or paid article.

Outdoor fitness opportunities vary depending on where you live, but there are generally some free or nearly free ways you can improve your fitness while enjoying the outdoors.

Tips to Improve Your Fitness This Summer

Summer Fitness Tip One: Sun Exposure

Early this morning I took a walk in the sunshine and it had an amazing effect on my mood. Vitamin D and sunshine are critical components of your wellness and fitness program. Sun exposure doesn't seem like it would be related to fitness but it is! Read on to find out how.

If you live in the midwest sun exposure can definitely be tough with so many cloudy and rainy days, but not impossible. Even if it's cloudy, you're getting at least some exposure to the sun through the clouds.

More on the importance of Vitamin D in the future, but in the meantime, check out these facts and tips about getting Vitamin D and it's importance to your health. It’s involved in many body processes, including ones that can affect your fitness and metabolism.

Even just 13 minutes of midday sun exposure three times a week is beneficial. So take a few minutes away from your desk to get outside.

You need at least some exposed skin to get the benefits of Vitamin D. However, you also need to protect your skin to avoid skin cancer. There are over three million occurrences of skin cancer each year so protecting your skin is important.

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Unfortunately, the latest news on sunscreens isn’t good. An FDA study released in May shows that skin absorbs toxic levels of chemicals found in many chemical sunscreens. Your safest bet is to use a mineral only sunblock.

Visit our shop page for inexpensive picks for mineral-based sunscreens.

Summer Fitness Tip Two: Walking and Hiking

One of the easiest and least expensive ways to get some sun is to simply go outside for a walk. Walking is one of the easiest ways to improve your fitness.

You can simply walk out your door, or you may wish to seek out some local trails. Trails are particularly nice in the summer since they can offer some shade.

It's important to connect with nature each day. Think about how much time we spend indoors in artificial light. And in shoes…our feet never touching the earth for days at a time. Then think about that feeling you get when you have your toes in the sand on the beach or being barefoot in freshly mown grass.

It sounds a bit “woo-woo,” but connecting with the earth in a real way, by both spending time in nature and by allowing your bare feet to touch the earth can be incredibly grounding and uplifting. Walking outside makes this easy!

If you can’t find a good nature hike, a great alternative is an urban hike. Driving to a different part of the city where you can explore a neighborhood and/or walk to a festival or new to you restaurant is a fun way to work on your fitness and be entertained at the same time.

Summer Fitness Tip Three: Finding Indoor Fitness Bargains

Our third tip for summer fitness is a bit at odds with our last suggestion of enjoying time outside. Rain and heat happen way too often though so it’s good to have options!

Even though you’d rather not be inside for summer fitness, there are some great deals to be found at local gyms, classes and yoga studios.

Indoor fitness drops way off during the summer since everyone wants to be outside. Businesses try to counteract that by offering great deals to entice you inside. Look for them to advertise these special summer deals or contact your favorite business to find out if they have any summer deals.

Summer Fitness Tip Four: Look for (FREE) Fitness Classes in Parks

At least in Cincinnati, it’s very popular for local businesses to offer outdoor fitness classes. They’re often free and a great way to check out a class you wouldn’t normally take.

Summer Fitness Tip Five: Change the Way You Look at Improving Fitness

Summers are full of vacations, extra obligations and children needing extra attention while they’re off school. You could easily get sidetracked from your fitness goals during this busy time.

However, you can take small steps to improve your fitness each day. Once you stop thinking in terms of big chunks of time to work out, you can easily start to improve your fitness, even when you’re short on time.

There are plenty of free, short videos online you can use to workout. You can leave your desk during the day for 10 minutes at a time to walk outside. You can easily do bodyweight exercises like pushups and squats anywhere and for just a minute or two at a time without even breaking a sweat.