Picture this: you are on holiday at a sunny beach resort in the south of France (or anywhere else that has a beach). You think to yourself that this is paradise. Delicious food, amazing wine, and the sunshine all day and warm temperatures too. If only your resort had a treadmill, you could run on. How about this instead – try beach running. Here are 5 reasons why you should try beach running.
The terrain is never even
You are probably thinking “oh no, I’ll twist my ankle!” but do not fret! The uneven terrain is brilliant when it comes to creating muscles and overall running capabilities. Because the terrain is never the same, your body does not get used to it, and you are running both up the hill and downhill. This is great for cardiovascular health and challenges your body more than any treadmill can. If you are looking for a challenge in your workout, then beach running is for you.
If you are pregnant, beach running is still good for you.
Check with your doctor first to see if exercising is ok at your stage of pregnancy. You are probably wondering how beach running is good during pregnancy. For one main reason: it helps with morning sickness. I have read in numerous articles that pregnant women say that during pregnancy if they work out then they do not have morning sickness. Also, since you are active during your pregnancy, this is great for their healthy development. It teaches them at a very young age the importance of health and well-being by exercising. Plus, beach running will give you another extra challenge due to the terrain. You do not need to run fast, just fast enough where it is a challenge for you.
Burn those calories!
Yes, this is probably what you were thinking about the most. Beach running burns way more calories than regular running. Due to the extra effort, you put in due to the uneven terrain; you are burning extra calories. If you do not believe me, test it out on a treadmill. Put the treadmill at your usual pace, and add an incline to it. You will be burning more calories than if you did not have your treadmill at an incline. This also means that you only need to exercise for a fraction of the time to burn the same amount of calories. I suppose it is up to you – work out for the same amount of time and burn more calories, or work out less and burn the same amount of calories. Your choice.
Less impact on your feet
The sand creates a soft surface for your foot to land on. Most likely you are running barefoot (who wants sand in their sneakers?) so it will be the opposite effect of running on pavement. Plus your lower body will not have as much tension put on it due to less pounding and stress on your body. It will not be like running on a cloud, but it will feel better than doing 30-minutes treadmill exercises. Your knees, ankles, and hips will be thanking you.
Conclusion
Ok. Let’s pretend we are back in the south of France enjoying our holiday. We will worry about beach running tomorrow after we have eaten our delicious dinner and a large glass of wine (if you are not pregnant). Tomorrow morning we will wake up with the sun and try this beach running, barefoot in the sand. I know already I’ll do it for a fraction of the time and not burn extra calories. I want more beach relaxing time!
References
1. http://www.lifehack.org/424292/5-reasons-you-should-try-beach-running-this-summer
2. https://www.purelyb.com/be-active/get-informed/5-reasons-to-go-for-early-morning-beach-runs
