Spring is FINALLY here so let's take our workout outside!

I know I am not alone when I say that I am tired of hearing myself complain about the weather. Let's clear this up. Unless you spent the winter in Palm Desert and a few other locations, you didn't really have a Spring and the Spring you did have was way too cold and way too soggy. Last week, my son woke up to see giant snow flakes falling onto our snow covered backyard and immediately screamed with excitement. He said, "First it was Spring then it was Summer and now it is Winter and I get to ski with daddy!" I laughed out loud but inside I was longing for our deserved warm weather. There you have it. Nuff said. Let's move on.

I live in Park City, UT. Yes, a California girl in Utah. I love living here and raising my kids here but I have to say that in my perfect world, our winter would start Dec 1st and end Feb 28th. That would be amazing. I live for the summer and I love wearing flip flops and that doesn't mix when their is snow on the ground 7 months out of the year.

But let's focus on the positive. The sun is finally shining and I am so very happy to take my workouts outside. I am plenty caught up on daytime programming with my late morning treadmill workouts and my legs have had their fair share of "out of the saddle" spinning segments. My heart and lungs are ready for some exploration and some fresh air.

With the change of the season, it is a great time to change up your workout. Mix things up a bit by taking your normal routine outside. You don't always need weights. In fact, your own body weight works even better sometimes. Do you have a playground nearby? Perfect place to challenge yourself. Use the end of a slide for dips targeting your shoulders and triceps. Monkey bars? Awesome place to get in a few pull-ups and chances are they are short enough for you to cheat a bit. If there is a grassy soccer field close by then you have got it made. Now you can mix in some intervals of 3-5 minutes of jogging to get your heart pumping. Lunge across the field while taking in the fresh smell of flowers and the sounds of chirping birds.(takes your mind off of the burn) And, hey, while you are at it, drop down and give yourself 20…push-ups that is! Finally, the icing on the cake, abs. Cycle through sets of 30-50 changing up your position each time around the park. Make sure to fly through these series of exercises at least 3 times. You will burn the calories and sweat it out while feeling like a 10 year old! And if you have a 10 year old, bring them along…they always know the REALLY fun stuff on the playground.