That that don't kill me, can only make me stronger. I need you to hurry up now, cause I can't wait much longer. Kanye West, Stronger

Saturday, June 7, 2008

Outdoor Fitness in the City

So I said I would get together a list of free outdoor yoga places, which turned out to be easier said than done, but I did put together a list of great outdoor fitness events, classes, etc. going on this summer. But WAY more is out there, I came across free lawn bowling classes in Central Park, so definitely do some googling, if you have a specific interest!

Outdoor Yoga/Pilates

Riverside Park
Take a free outdoor yoga class every Wednesday evening on the Plaza at 66th St. at the Hudson River. Bring your own mat to the Evening Salute to the Sun, Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. from June 11 to Sept. 24.

Bryant Park
Free yoga on the lawn on Thursdays from 6-7. Mats provided.

Socrates Sculpture Park
Free yoga on Saturdays 9:30-10:30 and 11:00-12:00.

Rooftop Yoga at Laughing Lotus
Hosts roof top yoga events throughout the summer. 7pm to sunset, $20, check out the schedule and reserve very early!

Dancing
The Lincoln Center Midsummer Nights Swing series has dance classes and open dancing in Damrosch Park. Swing on Tuesdays, Salsa on Saturdays, July 6-26th! Check out the schedule! $17

Running and Biking
I have often mentioned the great free runnning groups in NYC, but there are also lots of biking clubs. Niketown has biking and running clubs. Check out this listing of clubs http://www.bikenewyork.org/resources/clubs.html

Kayaking
Free kayaking is offered at the Long Island City and Downtown Boat Houses. Check out their hours.

Getting your workout in outdoors means you don't have to waste your summer in the gym, and you can get a tan to boot!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

What makes you enjoy exercise so much? I look it as a chore. I don't want to keep considering it one, but it is time consuming. Gym, exercise, shower, packing gym clothes, etc takes up a significant amount of time.

Unknown said...

Hi Rachel,

Good question. I guess it is three things.

1.) I am addicted to the endorphin rush that I get from working out. If I miss exercise for more than a day, I immediately feel bitchy, restless and even a bit depressed.

2.)It seems to moderate my mood and keep me grateful for all that I have in my life. Many years ago, I took antidepressents, and while I don't think that exercise is the sole reason I don't need them anymore, it certainly helps. I am very much on optimist, and I think exercise is one element of my life that helps me focus on the good rather than the bad things going on in my life. Believe me, there are plently of things I would like to change, have or not have to deal with, but I rarely think about them for more than a fleeting moment.

3.) Exercise has given me a respect and appreciation for my body that I once didn't have. Particularly running the marathon brought to light how strong my body was, and how much it deserved respect. It really helped my body image, and for me, working out really has nothing to do with weight loss. I think that is crucial to enjoying it.

4.) I love the me time, to veg out, go over conversations in my head and day dream. LOVE TO DAYDREAM on the elliptical!

You may have another outlet in your life that fulfills these things for you, and that is fine. I just want to share what works for me. I know it seems like my whole life is exercise, but it's not. I just try to avoid bringing to much personal stuff into the blog, to protect the innocent :)

I hope you find something you love, like a dance class or even walking to your favorite music, so it is less of a chore!

Anonymous said...

Thanks so much for giving me such a thorough answer! i will try to remember that next time I don't want to go to the gym.

If you don't mind I have one other type of question. What type of avocados do you buy? When I went to the grocery store there are alot of diff types! What made you want to like avocados so much?

Anonymous said...

I'm a runner. I'm not a nut about it, but I've always enjoyed it so it's easy for me to make it my primary exercise.

I tried gyms, but I always drop off.

But I feel like I need something else to do besides just running and I was wondering why I like running so much, I mean it can be boring, I can see that argument. Then I realized. I like running outside! I need to find more cheap and free things to do outside.

A quick Internet search, and I hit this blog list. Thanks Melissa.

So for me, the best part of exercise is being outside. I like running in the winter because that's the time of year I feel cooped up from speeding so much time indoors. I tend to run less in the summer considering the heat and the fact that I'm outside enough already.