7 Reasons Beach Workouts Are the Best Workouts

Shutterstock

The weekend has finally arrived, friends! I’m betting a large chunk of us will be flocking to sandier sidewalks for a few days away from the city. And while you’re there, maybe, just maaaaybe, you’ll find some time to squeeze in a workout. Here are seven fun reasons why a beach workout is so worth it.

1. There’s no “To wear a shirt or not to wear a shirt?” debate.

If you’re a lady, running through a crowd of suit-clad Center City office workers in nothing but a sports bra and booty shorts can make you feel a bit, well, underdressed—even in 90-degree heat. But at the beach, the whole showing-too-much-skin thing is a total non-issue. Fortunately, and sometimes unfortunately, there is always someone else baring way more of their body than you (I’m looking at you half-thong Speedo wearers).

2. No shoes, no problem.

In the city, you are probably insane if you walk around the streets sans shoes. I mean, let’s be honest, anyone willing to step in all of the garbage and pee that covers Philly’s concrete MUST be nuts. But on the beach, you can run shoe-free without risking death by shattered glass. And hey, it’s a killer calf workout to boot.

3. No one will ask, “Oh my god—are you okay? Your face is, like, really red.”

Because everyone else’s face is just as alarmingly red—or orange—as your I-think-I-might-keel-over-and-die beet-red workout face.

4. But more importantly, no one you know will witness your beet-red workout face.

I swear, I only run into people I know when I have just completed a workout like 45 seconds earlier. My face is usually the color of a freshly painted fire truck and my hair almost always looks like Sideshow Bob’s. It is not a good look. I usually blurt out, “Hey, how are you? I JUST WORKED OUT, by the way.” Then they say, “Yeah, I can tell.” It’s awful.

But at the beach, this problem doesn’t exist. People come from all over—New York, Philly, the ‘burbs, New Jersey, Delaware. Meaning: The chance you’ll run into your boss/ex-boyfriend/frenemy when your face resembles a ripe tomato are pretty slim. Hallelujah!

5. You get more bang for your buck.

Or more muscle for your minute, in this case. Research shows sand provides less rebound than pavement, forcing runners to engage the quads, hip flexors and butt muscles more than they would on a city run. Yes, please!

6. Just about anything is a workout when you do it on the beach.

No one says you have to go for a run to get a beach workout in. Even throwing a frisbee—the most mundane recreational activity known to man, in my opinion—becomes a fun mini workout when you do it in the sand. Between sprinting back and forth to catch it and swimming to retrieve it, you’re bound to work up a sweat.

7. No one will think you’re insane if you go for a post-workout swim.

After your sweat session, you can jump into the water to cool off, and no one will wonder if they should have you committed. The same cannot be said about jumping into the Schuylkill.

Like what you’re reading? Stay in touch with Be Well Philly—here’s how:

• Like Be Well Philly on Facebook
• Follow Be Well Philly on Twitter
• Follow Be Well Philly on Pinterest
• Get the Be Well Philly Newsletter