I mentioned that I love Spring. The weather is nice & cool. Its great for being active outside.
There are quite a few things you can do outside and cheaply! Below is just a small list.
Walking. So easy. And, free! Take a friend, a group of friends and walk. Whether its on your lunch hour. Or 30-60 minutes after getting home from work. While your kids are playing in the park. Or in the backyard, walk the perimeter of your yard. Last year, my husband and I did the AIDS walk. A leisurely walk where we talked to other people and spent the day walking through Central Park.
Running. I'm not a runner. I keep saying I'm going to train myself on my treadmill. Not sure I'm ready for people telling me that Forest Gump runs better than I do.
Rollerskating/Rollerblading. I haven't skated since I was in my early 20s and disco skating was the thing to do. And, well, over 100 pounds later I wasn't about to do it. However, once I started losing the pounds, I bought myself some skates. Not blades. I have mentioned that I'm uncoordinated, yes? I wanted to learn on skates before graduating to rollerblades. Boy, the older you get, you lose that fearlessness you had way back when. Well, being 40something and practicing outside probably wasn't the best idea. I had my husband with me and ordered him not to leave me. I buckled, but I never fell! LOL If you haven't done this in a long time, go to a rink. Do not start practicing on a bumpy ground!
You don't have to be able to do any of these for 30 or 60 minutes off the bat. If you haven't been active, start off with 10 minutes at a time. Build it up five minutes at a time. Before long, you'll be going for 30, 60, even 90 minutes, with a huge feeling of satisfaction.
Gardening/Yard work. Mowing the lawn, raking leaves, planting flowers, pushing the wheelbarrow. All of these works out all your muscle groups. When raking leaves, change direction every so often. Right to left for a few minutes, then left to right. When digging, switch hands. Both of these exercises allows both sides of your body to be worked out. Push the wheelbarrow around your garden an extra time or two. Using a small watering can and walking back and forth to fill it up is exercise. But, heaving that huge heavy hose around will give you some exercise also.
So many other things you can do. Playing with your kids outside. Running around, jumping rope, playing ball. Exercise doesn't have to be a pain in the butt. It can be fun. Any form of physical activity is good. Parking farther away and walking. Taking the stairs instead of the elevator/escalator. The whole point is to keep your body moving.
Make sure you drink water. It will keep you hydrated, as you will sweat a lot. It also will allow you to keep going for just a little bit longer when you think you can't.
