The days of summer are upon us, and with the boiling heat outside, it’s hard to imagine exercising. Most of your day you’re just sweating off the calories anyway, right? Oh, if only it were that simple!

Even in the carefree, but somewhat tiresome, hot summer days, exercise is still an incredibly important part of every day – especially if you’re looking to sport that extra teeny bikini or flex your perfect pecs on the beach. We all want to have fun in the sun, but also look good while doing it! Here are 5 workouts perfect for both that summertime weather and maintaining an incredibly fit summer body.

Morning Swimming

Whether you hit the beach, or the pool, the morning is often the best time to avoid heavy heat and still enjoy a solid workout. You’ll also enjoy a less crowded situation at the beach or pool before the peak mid-day hours.

Many pools and beaches are closed at night, and not as safe to utilize as they are during the daytime. With this is mind, make it a point to get up before the crowds and enjoy the freedom of the open water. Do some laps, tread water, try some water running or even use the water-weights. Whatever workout you create, a morning swim will certainly have you feeling revitalized throughout the rest of the day.

Evening Hiking

On the flip side, if you are more of a walker, jogger or runner, you may enjoy taking a hike. Both in the morning and at the height of midday, there are typically a lot of other hikers around, trying to get in their daily hiking routine. While you can hike at any time of the day, you’ll likely encounter the least amount of traffic on the trail in the evenings.

To top it off, it gives you a great opportunity to enjoy nature and see the sun set from a lovely viewpoint. According to Livestrong.com, it’s a good idea to eat before your hike to “fuel your muscles.” Avoid indigestion by having an early meal, at least an hour or more before you embark on your hike.

Aqua Biking

If you own a home with a pool or have access to a pool regularly, then you’ll love aqua biking in the summer. It allows you to enjoy the cool comfort of the water while still engaging in an intense, calorie-burning workout.

This is especially great for people who love biking, but don’t have the privilege of great biking trails around their home, or the time to leave their house to drive to one. Aqua biking allows you to get a solid workout in, often with more intensity than an actual bike ride due to the resistance from the water. Wike-Up! aqua bikes are perfect for this type of exercise.

Kayaking

If you live near a lake or any type of safe inlet to kayak in, this is the perfect workout for getting toned arms and a summer glow. If you can participate in this activity regularly, then it may be a good idea to buy your own kayak.

However, if you plan to only kayak on occasion, then it may be a good idea to research rental places near your area. Kayak rentals are typically inexpensive and just an hour or so of coasting through the water with significant attention to the intensity of your arm movement will give you an incredible summer workout to keep your summer bod in tact!

Running in the Sand

This may sound like a silly one, but the resistance added to your run by completing it in the sand is incredible! Just try running on solid ground for 30 minutes vs. running in the sand. You’ll quickly see that you can burn more calories and exert more energy in 30 minutes when the ground is less conducive to easy running.

On top of that, since the summer heat will make the sand hot as well, you’ll be more apt to move quickly if you complete your workout barefoot. No one wants to keep their feet on the ground too long when you’re dealing with hot sand, so you’re sure to get a swift and effective workout in!

So, those are just a few great summer exercises for you to enjoy and keep yourself fit and fab during the swimsuit months. Have any suggestions for summer exercises that we left out? We’d love to hear them! Comment below and let us know what your favorite summer exercise is to stay in shape!