Fitness Tips for the Perfect Summer Body-No Gym Required
The sun is shining, birds are chirping, Vitamin D is in abundance–and you’re sleeping ‘til noon. With summer just around the corner, there is no excuse but to get off the couch and start working on your swimsuit body for summer.
Bellevue and the surrounding areas offer a wealth of opportunities to BC students to shape up while having fun outdoors.
Issaquah’s Tiger Mountain, just a quick 15-minute drive from Bellevue College, is a Mecca for hiking junkies, with a variety of trails ranging in difficulty and distance.
One popular trail among hiking enthusiasts is Poo Poo Point. The hike roundtrip is 7.4 miles. While it could be rated a seven out of 10 on a difficulty scale, as the incline is pretty steep, it’s well worth the climb. It’s an incredible workout, beautiful scenery on the way up, and the view at the top is undeniably picturesque. Whether cloudy or sunny, you can see all of Issaquah. On a clear day, the Seattle skyline peaks out from behind Lake Washington, so not only should you bring your water bottle for this intense hike, but grab your camera too.
Next time, instead of going out to lunch with your friends on a sunny summer day, dust off your bike and ride around Lake Sammamish. A gravel trail runs along the shore of the lake with a distance of about 11 miles from Issaquah to Redmond. While that may sound daunting, you’ll be surprised that it’s not that bad, and the view of the lake guides you along, distracting you from any signs of fatigue. End your trip in Redmond at Marymoor Park, where you can enjoy a homemade, healthy picnic, or get a sandwich at Subway located within the park. Biking may seem like an ancient form of transportation, but, it gets you outside, allows you to truly enjoy the scenery, and it is really good exercise. Try putting your bike at a higher gear in order to get a more intense workout.
A nice way to cool off with your friends in those hot summertime months is going to the lake. However, the usual routine is to lay out, jump in the water to cool off, and then lay out again. Switch it up by actually spending some time in the water. Play “Keep Away,” which as the name would suggest, involves keeping a ball away from the other team by swimming away, throwing it to other team members, wrestling the ball from the other team – you get the idea. It may sound like no big thing, but trust me, after playing this for an hour you’ll be exhausted and by the next morning you’ll feel it in your arms, which may be uncomfortable, but evidence of a great workout.
If you’re not a fan of the water, you can still enjoy the lake by playing Frisbee on the beach, taking a run in the sand, or a friendly game of football always makes for a good time and good exercise.
As important as exercise is, nutrition is just as, if not more, important. You can exercise your butt off – literally, but if you load up on junk food afterwards, it kind of defeats the purpose. While it may seem like the antithesis to the college experience, a major cutback to your beer and fast food intake is a must if you want to slim down for summer. It’s best to live by the saying “all in moderation”; don’t give up the things you love, just don’t love them too often. Otherwise, you’ll begin to feel and see the difference.
On top of enjoying the outdoors and sculpting your body for summer, you’ll get to enjoy it all while creating lasting memories with your with. No one said you have to sacrifice a good time to get fit, so enjoy your summer even while exercising. Even if you’re not a fitness buff, you can still enjoy your usual summer activities while getting a good workout.