How to achieve your fitness goals – without getting sidetracked this summer
Take your fitness regime to a North Devon beach this summer. Picture: JackFrog/Thinkstock - Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto
Ilfracombe personal trainer Sean Dullaghan talks fitness in the sun and explains how the beach can help get your heart pumping
Sean Dullaghan of Transformations Personal Training - Credit: Archant
Hopefully your fitness training has been going well and you’ve been achieving the goals you’ve set yourself (you do set goals, don’t you?).
With the onset of summer it’s easy to lose sight of your goals and get sidetracked (holidays, parties, beach visits...all the things that help make summer so great).
But with a little bit of thought you can keep things on track, while still enjoying the sunshine.
The joys of beach running
Take your fitness regime to a North Devon beach this summer. Picture: Jimmyhuynh/Thinkstock - Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto
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We are lucky enough to live in a beautiful part of the country. So why not take advantage of it and do some outdoor training?
Running on a beach is not the preserve of club runners and holiday makers. Even if you don’t usually run, you’ll find running on a beach much more fun than road running.
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And if you’ve got any knee problems that usually stop you running, you might find running on soft sand reduces or even eliminates this problem …which brings in the joys of running up and down the dunes at Saunton or Woolacombe!
Feel a pulse on the path
You could go for a hike along the South West Coast Path. The undulating nature of much of the path will challenge your muscles and get your heart pumping – and you’re bound to come across a bench that you can use for some triceps dips, press ups or step ups.
If you are on a beach you can use driftwood for resistance training – deadlifting or dragging a log is great exercise (if done correctly).
Fun in the surf
If you’ve got youngsters there are some great surf life saving clubs in the area, and they welcome parents joining in. My six-year-old joined Woolacombe Surf Life Saving Club recently, and loves his Sunday mornings on the beach running around and playing games in and out of the sea.
Beach bootcamp
I run Saturday morning Outdoor Bootcamp classes on Woolacombe beach. We meet just before 9am in the main beach car park, at the top of the path down to the Beachcomber Cafe.
If you fancy joining us and discovering new ways to train, your first class is free.
For more information email me at fitness@transform-your-life.com
Coming soon
The most popular exercise classes and training methods explained. What they are and what they can do for you.
Sean Dullaghan, Transformations Personal Training
