While Gyms Definitely Have Their Perks, L.A. has Numerous Ways to Get a Free Workout
If you recently moved to L.A. after college or from the South (like me), you quickly notice how the stereotype holds true, and this city is full of beautiful people. And if those people encourage you to wanna drop that freshman 15 or loose some of weight put on by years of bar-b-que and mac-n-cheese, you are in luck. Without a trial period or monthly fee, you can get a good, free workout in by using the city as your very large gym. Here are a few ways the city can shape you up:
1. Beach Running
With a load of beaches within a short travel distance, take advantage of those sandy shores. The deep soft sand offers resistance, forcing you to take shorter strides and dig your toes into the sand. Your calves will surely feel the resistance first, but you will also feel it in your knees and thighs as you have to work harder to drive forward and keep pace. If you are on one of the beaches in the South bay, and the sand wears you out, you can always switch over and continue your jog on the paved boardwalk. However, if you want a more intense sandy workout, Manhattan Beach recently reopened Sand Dune Park. This giant mound of sand is an awesome workout, but you must make reservations via the website as they are attempting to control the sound and crowds that gather in this residential area.
The Los Angeles area has a ton of trails to help get you fit.
2. Hiking
The Santa Monica Mountains, Hollywood hills and San Gabriels offer excellent trails to get you working. Trails.com is a good resource to check to see what trails are near you and at what skill level. Modern Hiker also offers a great detailed map with descriptions of the trails in the Los Angeles area. During the summer, hikes on the Westside are favorable due to the constant beach breezes, but if you can handle the heat, L.A. hikes are a year round exercise. This STCer is a fan of Temescal Canyon hike. It’s a four mile loop that is just a short distance up the PCH. It’s easy to get to and can be done easily before or after work.
3. Running Stairs
Stair running is an intense workout. It’s good cardio, not to mention will strength your calves, thighs and butt. You can take it slow and add weights, do rounds quickly to get in crazy cardio or skip steps to get a more intense lunge. The best part of non-gym workouts is how you can customize them very easily to what suits you best. When you say anything about stair
Santa Monica Stairs beat the Stairmaster
running in L.A., most people instantly think of the Santa Monica stairs. Tucked into a wealthy neighborhood, the Santa Monica stairs are a great workout, but be prepared to not be alone. It’s quite the workout scene at these stairs, but you can really get a workout in anywhere you find a flight.
4. Biking
Whether it’s mountain or road, biking is a great way to burn extra calories and get in some cardio. While Los Angeles is not the most bike friendly city (see the story about our mayor’s foray into the bike community here), there are still some good places to ride. The Strand bike path along the beach is a great place (especially on weekdays) to ride. Perhaps one of the best places to road bike safely is along Westchester Parkway near LAX. This stretch has a wide bike lane that you will often see the pro’s training on, and it’s close to the beach, so you get a solid cool breeze.
No matter what you do, even if it’s just walking, Los Angeles has an outdoor activity on the cheap that can help whip you into shape. So, don’t be intimidated by those beautiful people, just join ‘em. – Lori Bartlett
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Comment by Candi Kleinert — August 30, 2010 @ 2:46 pm
You just should schedule them on different days, and make sure you are doing cardio as well. The fact that you were that sore means that you have not developed very much strength or flexiblity yet in the muscles that you were working. Yoga works differently than weight training by using slow movements, balance, and holding poses for a long time. This will help you become stronger and more flexible without bulk. If you are sore one day, exercise your non-sore muscles the next day or just do cardio and mild exercise until your muscles heal. Yoga is actually really good if you are already sore, it helps alot. I do Yoga, Pliates, various Cardio, and Toning (high rep weight training) and I love doing all of them. The ‘whole body’ workout you get with various techniques really helps you tone up and build endurance fast.
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