One of the best parts about summer is spending more time outside. If you have a hectic schedule and have difficulty finding time to enjoy the weather, outdoor exercise classes are an excellent opportunity to keep up with your fitness and get some vitamin D at the same time. What’s great about living in Philadelphia is that there are so many different outdoor exercise classes from which to choose, from yoga to hardcore cardio.
Browse through this list of opportunities for outdoor exercise in Philly and decide which is best suited for you!
What better way to stretch into cobra than with a cool breeze grazing your shoulders? Since 2011, every summer Saturday morning at 10am in the Oxford Mills courtyard in Fishtown, Urban Yoga Philly has provided the public with complimentary yoga instruction, led by a different local yoga instructor every week. All you need in order to participate is your own yoga mat, and a coating of sunscreen, of course.
Wouldn’t you love to start your morning with some yoga and a beautiful view of the Delaware River? Bring your own mat (BYOM) to Race Street Pier every Sunday at 9:30 am throughout the month of June! Dhyana Yoga offers all-level classes to the public for free. However, donations are accepted.
$25 a session might seem a little pricey for a yoga class, but for Yoga Out on a Limb, it pays for a mind-blowing experience. Come to experience yoga 50 feet in the air, surrounded by tree branches and leaves for shade. Instructor Jennifer Schelter teaches Vinyasa yoga classes on Thursdays during the summer at the Morris Arboretum. $200 for ten yoga classes may be impractical for most college students, but it’s definitely worthwhile to try to attend at least one class at this incredible location.
Tourists aren’t the only ones you can see running up and down the Philadelphia Art Museum steps. CoreFitness’s boot camp begins in late march and takes place both indoors and outdoors, often right on the steps of the PMA. The workouts are held Monday through Saturday mornings and incorporate elements of the environment into a full-body workout.
Run in a Marathon
If you’re an avid runner, would like to be, or just find that group fitness classes don’t provide enough competition, consider running in one of Philadelphia’s summer races. Races this summer include the ODDyssey Half Marathon, which takes place on June 14 and donates a portion of the proceeds to Students Run Philly Style; and the 1/2 Sauer 1/2 Kraut Half Marathon or Marathon, which takes place on June 13, benefits the HCM Foundation, and provides post-race food and beer (for those of legal drinking age). If you can’t make either of these races, spend your summer training for more fall races.