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Summer Activities Make Weight Loss Easy and Fun
The best way to provide a daily boost to your metabolism is with an invigorating jog, brisk walk or bike ride. By putting yourself in motion, you are setting off a series of events inside your body that put you into a healthier, happier frame of mind and signal your body to burn fat faster and build more muscle strength.
For long-term, ongoing success, it’s important to keep your routine from getting stale, so go ahead and put the pavement behind you and check out some of the more scenic or tranquil spots not far from your own backyard.
Long Island is home to some of the best venues for running, jogging and cycling activities. Before you know it, you’ll be enjoying the sights while you make great strides toward a slimmer, trimmer, healthier you.
Long Island Jogging
Long Island Beaches
Now that summer is here, Long Island beaches are a great place to get in an early morning jog along the water’s edge. The sand cushions the impact while challenging you to use more of your strength with each stride. If you’re looking for more of a challenge head away from the water to the softer sand; otherwise, run on the wet, hard-packed sand for easier, quicker going.
Long Island Walking
Brisk walking will give you a great cardio workout and doesn’t have to be boring. There are so many trails and scenic spots on Long Island that can spark renewed interest in taking daily walks. A tip: if you plan to take advantage of frequent walks in local state parks, you can avoid daily entrance fees by purchasing an Empire Pass that gives you unlimited access for a full year.
Along the banks of the Connetquot River, in Oakdale, you’ll find a perfect spot for a brisk two-mile walk in a paradise of beauty and quiet at the Bayard Cutting Arboretum. When you’re ready to cool down, go around once again at a slower pace and appreciate all there is to see.
Robert Moses State Park and Fire Island National Seashore stretches for thirty miles along the south shore of Long Island and is a great place for mid-week or off-season beach walks.
Take a brisk north shore walk at Sunken Meadow State Park in Kings Park along the glacial bluffs overlooking Long Island Sound. Don’t want sand between your toes? Then hop onto the popular three-quarter-mile-long boardwalk.
Leave the road noise behind you and discover Caumsett State Park on beautiful Lloyd’s Neck where you can enjoy a five-mile walk in a quiet, spacious, private park with a variety of habitats, woods, a long stretch of deserted shoreline, a salt marsh, and a freshwater pond.
You can also get back to nature for cardio walks at:
- Caleb Smith State Park Preserve
- Connetquot River State Park Preserve
- Planting Fields Arboretum
- Sands Point Preserve
- South Shore Nature Center
Or, explore the pine barrens in Riverhead at the David A. Sarnoff Pine Barrens Preserve, go hiking and experience 40 foot dunes and buried forests at Hither Hills State Park in Amagansett, see the natural osprey nesting habitat while hiking at Mashomack Preserve in Greenport, or join bikers and joggers on the trails at Stillwell Woods in Syosset. Looking for more ideas, click on www.trails.com.
Long Island BICycling
If you’re really serious about cycling and are looking to go the distance, join a bike club. It’s an opportunity to discover a variety of new terrain and pathways and cover from four miles to fifty, while maintaining a healthy pace with plenty of group encouragement and camaraderie. For info on Long Island clubs and trails, check out www.bicyclelongisland.org.
Don’t let rain dampen your resolve; find a gym that offers cycling classes or jog on an indoor track for a great cardio workout. Enjoy great summer cycling, but remember to stay hydrated.
If you choose to go it alone, get yourself a good bike map and plan outings that provide give just enough of a challenge without leaving you exhausted and stranded far from home. Take frequent water breaks, stay alert and enjoy the scenery. Here are a few more places you may want to check out (biking miles are shown in parenthesis).
- Belmont Lake State Park (3)
- Bethpage State Park (8)
- Block Island (17)
- Bridgehampton – Water Mill (20)
- Caumsett State Park (8)
- East Hampton – Amagansett (17)
- Eisenhower Park (5)
- Glen Cove – Sea Cliff (21)
- Greenpoint – Orient Point (21)
- Hampton Bays – Shinnecock Canal (17)
- Hecksher State Park (2)
- Hempstead Lake State Park (4)
- Jones Beach Bike Path (7)
Want to learn more about these and other spots for biking on Long Island? Get a copy of Short Bike Rides on Long Island or visit www.trails.com and search Long Island Road Biking or for the more adventurous Long Island Mountain Biking.
No matter what your passion it’s important to stay on the go and keep active. The more fun ways you find to do so, the easier you will find it to keep up your activity each day, stay in shape and be on the road to significant weight loss. Happy trails!