HEALTH

Crab Crawl

This may look a li’l silly, but it gets ya movin’ and your core workin’. Sit down on the sand like you’re about to do a sit-up, and put your hands on the ground on either side of your body with your fingers pointed toward your feet. Then unbend your elbows, and lift your tush off the ground. “Walk” backwards by moving your right hand and leg simultaneously, and then your left hand and leg. Do this for 20 steps.

Walk the Plank

Planks can get super boring because you’re holding them for so long. So instead of just going up on your elbows and toes for as long as you can, try shortening things a bit. Lay down on the sand, and then go up to plank position for 30 seconds. Lower yourself back down, and lay there for 5 seconds. Then go back up to plank for 30 seconds… You see where this is going? Do 6 reps of holding a plank for 30 seconds. Take some reps away or add more depending on your fitness level.

Sandy Sprints

Pick two landmarks about 40 feet apart. Start at one end, and take off running kind of slowly. Build up speed until you’re going as fast as you can when you’re halfway between the markers. At the halfway point, start slowing down, until you’re back to your original speed when you reach the other marker. Turn around, and do that again. Do a total of 6 sprints, or 3 out-and-back.

Hoop Shots

Start from a standing position, and squat down, pushing your butt out. Make sure your knees stay behind your toes. Then jump up, and throw your arms up like you’re taking a shot on a basketball hoop. When you land, go back down to a squat, and start again. Do this 15 times.

Surrender the Booty

Start standing, and raise your arms straight above your head so your fingers are pointing up. Then lunge forward with your right foot, and press your left knee toward the ground. Bring your left foot up to meet your right, and then lunge it forward. Continue lunging for 15 steps on each foot, keeping your arms above your head the entire time.

Move With the Current

Lay down on the sand (not in the water!). Put your hands out wide on either side of your body, like you would for a wide-armed push-up. Then unbend your elbows, and raise your bod up. Dip your chest down, forward, and up, all in one fluid movement. At the same time, lean forward on your toes. It should look a bit like you’re scooping under a fence and popping up on the other side. Then reverse the movement to return to your original wide-armed push-up stance. Rock forward and back 25 times.

Karate Kid

Start from a standing position. Kick your right leg out in front of you. Then at the same time as you place that leg back on the ground, hop your left leg out behind you, and reach down with your left hand toward the ground. Hop your left leg back up to a standing position. That’s the entire move, so switch legs and repeat it. Do 15 reps with each leg.

Clam Closes

Sit down on the sand with your legs straight out in front of you. Then, lay back with your arms extended straight out on the ground above your head, so your bod is in a straight line. Contract your abs, and, keeping your legs together, lift them up to a 45-degree angle. At the same time, bring your arms over your head and try to touch your toes. Lower yourself back to a straight line on the sand, and repeat the entire move 20 times.

Trident Push-Ups

Go down to the ground, and do a push-up. Stay in push-up position, and move your right hand and foot over about a foot. Then bring your left hand and foot over, too, and do another push-up in that spot. Move your left hand and foot back, followed by your right hand and foot. Without doing a push-up in between, move your bod to the left by starting with your left hand and foot. Do a push-up in that spot to your left, and return to your original place. That’s one. Do 6 reps.

Sunny Skips

Using the markers that you had before (about 40 feet apart), skip from one end to the other. With each skip, raise whichever knee is coming up as high as you can. Just go back and forth once for this one.

by Carrie Ruppert | 2/1/2016