5 Ways to Sneak Mini Workouts into Your Summer Fun

Remember that self-made promise of 'getting fit this summer'? Whether it's the parties, the vacations, the schedule switcheroo or the crazy heat, the sunny season has a way of foiling our fit intentions.

There's still time. Here are 5 ways to sneak mini workouts into your summer fun.

Playground Power. You know why you take the kids to the park, right? It's to burn off a little of that energy. So, don't just sit there and watch - get in on the action. Even if you don't have kidlets to chase around, you can power up the neighbourhood playground by creating a tabata-style circuit through the apparatus. Turn the swings into TRX straps, the rings as pull up bars and the wobbly-horse as a challenging place to do some tri-dips. The next time you walk by, give it  a try. And the next time, and the next...

Intention. What’s the easiest way to get a bit more workout into your day? Mean to. Look for opportunities to flex your muscles, literally. It might be calf raises in the lineup, squats at your desk, some bicep curls while checking out melons at the market or 2 minute sit-up blitzes during commercial break. Keep it top of mind you’ll be amazed how easy (and subtle) a bit of flexing can be.  

Don’t Just Dip. If you’re lucky enough to live by the lake (or spend your weekends by one) forget the dip and go for a real swim. When you decide to jump in, make it a workout. Pick a point within your swimming ability and swim back and forth between it. As the summer progresses, you may be surprised to find that you’re ready to aim for a more distant point. And before you know you’ll be heading across the lake and back.

Extreme Weeding. Are tackling those evil weeds cutting into your fitness time? Why not turn pulling weeds into a workout? For a light option, do a squat to get to each weed, even if they are side by side. Or, go extreme and do a weeding burpee. Pull a weed, jump up, drop down to a plank for a good look at the next weed, jump forward to a squat, pull that weed and do it again! Prepare to be weed-free and uber-fit by the time they die off.

Patio Party Dance Takeover. Who says patio parties have to be subdued sangria sipping affairs. We say, it's time to work off those pineapple veg-kebabs and earn your healthy cocktails. Fold up those patio chairs, turn up the tunes and get this patio rocking. Oh, and this is a workout, so none of this slow-jam stuff - dig deep into the rock and pop pile for a 'dance like nobody's watching' style party.

Over here at tuja we love to squeeze wellness into the everyday. We’ve shown you how to do it with mindfulness and now fitness too.