If I told you I spent the morning at the beach, you’d likely imagine a slow, meandering walk in the sand with small waves gently lapping at my feet – or maybe a quiet spell lying on a big blanket with a book and the sounds of seabirds for company.
Beaches are good for meandering walks and books and big blankets.
They’re also excellent for lunges, planks, and sand skipping.
Beach Bootcamp at Willard Beach begins June 1 and continues all summer long. It’s a perfect blend of sweat and sand. Amy Currie, founder of Fit Justice in Portland (Amy does personal and small group training), runs the bootcamps at 8-9 a.m. every Saturday this summer.
No equipment is needed for this bootcamp, which employs body weight exercises like pushups, core work, lunges, planks, and, yes, skipping.
A note for my fellow grown-ups: Remember how easy and carefree skipping was when you were a kid? It’s not like that at all anymore. Maybe the pull of gravity has increased five-fold in the last 30 years…maybe adult bodies aren’t fine-tuned for the skipping arts. Whatever the reason, skipping as a grownup feels amazing and fun for the first 13 seconds and then it feels really hard and then you’re 45 seconds in marveling at how 7-year-old you could seemingly skip forever.
What’s especially neat about bootcamp on a beach, though, is the beach itself. Your bare feet in the sand (you can wear shoes if you’d like, but it feels pretty great to feel sand in between your toes…and pretty much all over your entire body). The sounds of sea birds and waves and dogs playing.
Another bonus: the good energy. Amy cranks up some good tunes, the group is easy-going and upbeat, and the open air engenders high spirits, even if your quads are also burning. And the bootcamps always end with the song “Ice, Ice Baby.” Because they should.
Bootcamps start at 8 a.m. (meet in the parking lot on Willow Street) and it’s $15 to drop in (no need to register in advance – just show up)! It’s highly likely some folks will walk over to Scratch Baking Co. after, because of course.
Beach Bootcamp
With Amy Currie, founder of Fit Justice
8-9 a.m. Saturdays in June, July, and August
Willard Beach, South Portland (meet in the parking lot on Willow Street)
$15 drop in or $100 for 10 classes
FMI: www.facebook.com and fit-justice.com
Note: This post was first published on June 3, 2018
