TAKE A LONG WALK ON A SANDY BEACH

Take a walk on the beach it’s a great way to burn calories and fat in a relaxing setting. Walking in the sand burns twice the calories of a road or walkway.

That’s because your feet sink into the sand, making your muscles work harder to lift out of it on each step. This extra effort translates into extra fat and calories burned instant cardio action too.

Sand is softer than hard surfaces like concrete and is therefore easier on your joints. Sand is low impact.

9 Tips For Walking On The Beach.

1. A five minute warm up is essential for preventing strains and sprains. Don’t skip this important part of your fitness routine!

2. Shoes. Wear them! A good pair of walking shoes will keep your feet supported and protected. A pair of trail shoes would also work well.

3. Sand. Loose sand has benefits and drawbacks. The benefit is that it’s more difficult to walk on so you’ll burn more calories because your body will require more energy to lift out of the sand. The downside is that you have a greater risk of pulling a muscle while walking in loose sand. A good compromise is to spend half your time walking in loose sand and the other half walking on hard-packed sand (closer to the water).

4. Direction. Beaches have a natural slope to them. This will put strain on one leg more than the other. To compensate for this, spend half your time walking in one direction, then turn around and walk in the other direction to avoid over-straining one leg.

5. Frequency. Brisk walking on the beach is a higher-intensity workout than road walking. You’ll notice your breathing will be much heavier and you’ll feel more tired than walking at the same pace on a hard surface. So don’t overdo it.

6. Pace. Keep a brisk pace, but don’t push yourself to walk too quickly. Remember that you’re burning extra calories just by walking on sand so walk at a comfortable pace.

7. Protection. Always wear sunscreen and consider wearing a hat as well. Even if it is cloudy at the beach, the sun’s rays can be very damaging. Bring a light-weight jacket to keep you dry and warm.

8. Stretch. Spend ten minutes doing cool-down walking stretches to keep your muscles supple and healthy.

9. Final Cool-down. Take the final five minutes and cool down, sit down and stretch to the sky breathing in and stretch to your toes exhaling. Do this slowly 6 to 10 times. This final step is essential to your fitness routine.

Walking on the beach can be the best of both worlds. You’ll get a great workout in a little bit of paradise.

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Until next time, this is Blog 99 sharing ways to save you time, money and tips to make your life a little easier.