Lose Ten: How to use one of NYC’s Beaches as a Gym!

Last week I featured an article about a few ways that we can workout our bodies in one of NYC’s plentiful beautiful parks; this week’s article is about utilizing one of the beautiful beaches that we’re blessed to have here in NYC.

Being born and raised in Southern Brooklyn, on the Seagate/Coney Island/Brighton Beach/Manhattan Beach peninsula, some of my earliest and most precious childhood memories are of me frolicking on the beach. Even when I was a kid, I’d always feel so refreshed, energized and fit after a day on the beach! As I mentioned in my previous article, there’s so many beneficial health benefits of being out in the Sun (with appropriate protection, of course). The beach in many ways is a next-level park because it contains that amazing X-factor—the Ocean!

According to convenientmd.com, “Sea air, which contains iodine, salt, and magnesium, encourages respiratory health and can reduce the symptoms of asthma, promote respiratory health, improve allergies and skin problems, and stimulate the immune system.” Saltwater is also historically known to purify one’s body via acting as a kind of natural antiseptic.

Aside from the natural elemental forces of the Sun and Ocean, the beach also consists of sand; sand does more than simply provide a softer “mat” for anyone choosing to workout on the beach, according to Ayurvedic Medicine: warm sand is also amazing in helping to ground the human body, as well as help with everything from reflexology to circulation. Sand provides natural resistance that strengthens your legs, everything from your ankles to leg muscles to arches gets strengthened as you walk on the sand. As you walk on the sand, your feet and legs will be going through their full range of motion, as every time your foot sinks into the warm sand, your muscles will have to put in extra hard work to push you back up while simultaneously moving you forward. I don’t just walk forward on the sand; I love to walk backwards on the sand as well. Walking backwards on sand opens-up an entirely new set of physiological benefits; according to verywellhealth.com, walking backwards “improves range of motion in your knee, quadriceps strength, hamstring flexibility, and mobility. In addition, walking backward offers similar benefits to regular walking, including burning more calories, better heart function, and improved balance and stability.”

As resistant as the sand may be, exercising while in the Ocean is even more resistant! I love to get waist-deep in that water and just start jogging, jumping, swimming, and bobbing—burning calories while working my core, legs and arms—all the while keeping my joints protected because of the easing effects that saltwater shows on one’s skeletal system.

In my experience, practicing Yoga on the sand is amazing! Simply lounging around on the beach and participating in some stretches while getting a tan and breathing in that healthy salty sea air is amazing for one’s entire system! Except for all of the physical health benefits which I’ve mentioned, working out on the beach creates natural mental balance and serenity.

Even though summer 2023 is still technically almost three months away, the days are getting nicer and sunnier; choose a nice day and go have some fitness-fun on one of the lovely beaches which are scattered across our beautiful City! Getting some Sun, sand and salty sea air in springtime might be just what the doctor ordered to fully melt them winter blues away!

Wishing everyone an amazing weekend!

Banner Image: Yoga on the beach Image Credit – Wesley Tingey

Andre Zemnovitsch

I have been a Certified Personal Trainer for almost 20 years. Training for some of the top boutique gyms in NYC and the Catskills, I have been honored to assist well over a thousand clients evolve not only their bodies but their minds to higher levels. I have dedicated my life to finding the most effective fitness techniques, herbs/plant medicines, exercise regimens, Martial Disciplines, scientific approaches and ancient wisdoms from the four corners of this wonderful World—to help myself and my fellow man live longer and better. I am the founder of High∞Chi Fitness—a soon-to-open revolutionary gym—where a medley of fitness Masters from around the globe will come together to work in harmony, collaboratively taking clients to their apex fitness levels. High∞Chi Fitness isn’t just a gym; it’s a way of life to assist the client to ride the trajectory of perpetual fitness evolution! Throughout my fitness journey: I have been blessed to learn from elite Martial Artists, esteemed Acupuncturists, Yoga Masters, Pilates pioneers, Zen Masters, and even real-deal Amazonian Shaman and Mystics. I have designed and instructed original and revolutionary fitness classes for some of the most illustrious centers and institutions on the East Coast—from the peaks of the Poconos to the Hamlets of the Hamptons. My successful classes place emphasis on Qigong breathing with Zen Visualization Exercises, alongside "Dynamic Meditations" juxtaposed with static techniques. I hybridize Ancient Eastern Techniques with the most up-to-date contemporary Westernized approaches: for total health and well-being and mind-body-connection. I have been fusing into my training regiments: the latest scientifically-backed advancements in fitness with a thousand years' worth of Martial Disciplines. I believe in a "best-of-all-worlds" approach to health and exercise, a best of East-meets-West, if you will. Via my training: I incorporate dexterity (hand-eye-coordination) alongside footwork, strength and conditioning, postural alignment strategies and physical therapy, breath∞work, mind-calming/elucidation strategies, visualization-manifestation methods, a variety of Martial Arts techniques, and a cornucopia of other important facets of mind-body enhancement. With all the aforementioned, I have found that this is the preferred way to follow THE WAY to optimized health and clarity of mind. My life is devoted to making your life better in every way! If you are interested in training, please send me a message via my email [email protected] or call me at 347.777.2584.