Regular activity can bring life-changing benefits. It can help you strengthen your muscles, joints and bones, lift your mood, it can even reduce your risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers – talk about magic! And the good news is, with Slimming World, becoming more active isn’t about sweating in the gym (unless that’s what you love).
Summer’s the perfect time to start building a more active lifestyle. Exercising outdoors is great for your mind, body and soul, and our activity checklist is packed with games, challenges and fun ways to get moving in the sunshine.
How you choose to complete it is up to you. Our Body Magic activity programme is all about getting active in a way that feels comfortable for your fitness level and fits in with your lifestyle, so you can skip, repeat or adapt any of these ideas to suit you. Are you ready to discover a fitter, healthier you?
11 summer activity ideas
🚴 Go on a bike ride
Excellent for your heart and lungs and easy on your joints. Dust off your bike for a family cycle, and you’ll soon start to feel the benefits, like Slimming World member Lollie (@lollieslosingit.sw), who’s lost 6st 9lbs.
MORE ON THE BLOG: Discover our beginner’s guide to cycling
🗺️ Organise a treasure trail
A trip to the woods is great for keeping the kids entertained in the holidays – add a treasure hunt into the mix and turn your walk into a real adventure. Plan your own course and clues or head to Treasuretrails.co.uk to find routes near you.
🏖️ Visit the seaside
If you’re hitting the beach, there are buckets of activities to try, from frisbee and kite-flying to football and volleyball. Or, release your inner child and build sandcastles (all the walking, squatting and digging will definitely count as Body Magic!). Andrew (@slimmingworld_welshguy) has been making the most of the lighter evenings by taking brisk strolls along Benllech beach in Anglesey.
MORE ON THE BLOG: Aaron Snares is back on the pitch after scoring a 16st weight loss
🎢 Plan an active day out
Whether you’re walking around a new city or a theme park to hitting an adventure playground, you can quickly rack up the steps on a day trip. For the biggest Body Magic benefits, go for a brisk pace – one that increases your breathing, raises your heart rate and makes you feel warmer (although you’ll still be able to hold a conversation!).
MORE ON THE BLOG: Eight ways to enjoy an active day out
🏋️♀️ Move your workout outdoors
Lace up your trainers and head outside to improve more than just your fitness levels. There’s evidence to suggest people get a bigger mood boost if they work out surrounded by nature. Plus, getting a bit of sunshine can help to top up your vitamin D levels.
Samantha – who you’ll also find on the cover of the latest issue of Slimming World Magazine. – set up a full outdoor gym during the recent half-term holidays, including kettlebells, dumbbells and a tyre to help her do push-ups.
MORE ON THE BLOG: You can do this 10-minute workout in the garden or at the park
🚶🏿♂️ Take a hike
Fresh air, lovely views, birds singing… no wonder a study found that people who head outside for a stroll can feel their mood lift in just 15 minutes. Any walk that makes you feel warmer and speeds up your heart rate brings benefits, and choosing a route with a hill or two will work the muscles in your thighs and bum even harder.
MORE FOR MEMBERS: Slimming World members can check out a helpful guide on how to walk your way to fitness – plus many more activity how-tos and workout videos – on the exclusive member website.
🏄 Try water sports
Whether you go to your local water sports venue or book a taster session at the seaside, activities like kayaking, sailing, surfing and paddle boarding are a really fun way to fit in some fitness.
MORE ON THE BLOG: Four of the best outdoor activities to try
🏊 Get in the swim
Swimming is brilliant Body Magic, because it works your whole body and it’s easy on your joints. If you find doing lengths a bit dull and the weather’s nice and warm, take a trip to a water park or enjoy an energetic paddle and a bit of water-slide action in your back garden. Emily (@slimwithemily_slimmingworld) has been squeezing activity into her mornings by starting her days with a quick dip in the North Sea.
MORE ON THE BLOG: Six swimming tips for beginners
👨🌾 Spruce up your garden
Summer is the perfect time to do some gardening. Energetic digging and raking count as cardio, while twisting and bending to plant flowers and vegetables and to weed is great for flexibility. And if you’re pushing a wheel-barrow, mower or carrying heavy pots, you’re getting in some strength training too.
MORE FOR MEMBERS: Slimming World members will find a handy beginner’s guide to turning gardening into a workout on the exclusive member website.
🎾 Have a bash at tennis
Did Wimbledon inspire you to dig out your racket? If so, there are plenty of reasons to give tennis a go. This full-body workout improves coordination, helps your heart health when played regularly and is a really sociable form of Body Magic.
MORE ON THE BLOG: Try your hand at tennis with our beginner’s guide
💃 Do a little dance
Are you going to a music festival or garden party this summer? Let your hair down and show off your moves to get your heart rate up and the feel-good endorphins flowing.
MORE ON THE BLOG: Seven Body Magic activities you can start today