Summer Workouts that Sizzle

Summer Workouts that Sizzle- by Jennifer Hartley

Aidan Thirsk

Rating ***- Pretty Good

            Summer Workouts that Sizzle is an informative article, written to give fun and creative ways to keep fit this summer. It’s a quick read and may be more appropriate to read closer to the warmer season, but is worthwhile to flip through.

            The article is all about some fun and easy activities to try out in the summer time. Throughout the article, the author suggests different activities that aren’t too expensive or difficult to try and explains the benefits and downsides to them. Some of the workouts include simple things like walking, running, and road cycling. Benefits of these are not having to go out of your comfort zone by trying something new, while also burning calories and being able to socialize at the same time. The main downside is not working out different muscles that you don’t use on a regular basis. The more “outside of the box” options that the author explains are stand-up paddle boarding, kayaking, or even trying out the more workout intense boot camps. The benefits of these are trying something new and creative, while working and toning muscles that aren’t commonly used in the average lifestyle. But trying out one of these new adventurous activities can be pricey with all the equipment being bought or rented.

            I thought the article was well written and had a good sense of humor to give it a good attitude. Knowing that some of these activities are a lot more readily available in the Ottawa area and are much more inexpensive than previously thought, encourages me to try out so more adventurous activities like the paddle boarding (obviously when it’s warmer). I have recently started running daily and enjoy feeling fit, which spurred my interested in this article as a way to look into other simple workouts. The article satisfied that by giving me a few options, but I would have like to have seen some even more “out of the box” idea. The options given are good but there wasn’t a lot given that I couldn’t have thought of on my own. Knowing that I prefer not to do 5 out of the 6 activities because of how cold it is outside, it has made me think about trying some warm weather activities while on vacation in warmer weather this Christmas and March break.  

            I would definitely recommend reading this article to get some ideas a ways to keep fit outside. Staying active and healthy becomes easier and easier if you have fun ways to do it.

Hartley, Jennifer. "Summer Workouts That Sizzle." Ottawa Outdoors Summer 2012: 5-6. Print.