Cool Summer Workouts Abound in Prescott

PLAYCool Summer Workouts

Abound in Prescott

Greater Prescott is known and loved for its year-round outdoor fitness and recreation activities, but some are quintessential summer pastimes because of our climate, tradition or some combination of the two — they’re best enjoyed while the temps are warm and the vibes are chill.

BASKETBALL For leagues and pros this can be a sport for all seasons, but for casual pickup games and drills most of our choices are going to be in parks, schoolyards or driveways during the warmer months. Perfect for solo practice or playing with however many people available, when played vigorously (lots of running) basketball can burn more than 600 calories an hour! Remember to warm up before and cool down afterward to prevent injury.

FRISBEE/DISC GOLF No active summer is complete without tossing a Frisbee with a friend or two, human or canine. They’re so lightweight, portable and durable they’ve never gone out of style; and they require a variety of skills between throwing, jumping and running. Recreational disc-throwing burns an average of around 220 to 300 calories per hour. If you add some rules and competition, disc golf can cancel 400 calories or more per hour depending on distance and terrain while some “ultimate” Frisbee players smash 700.

KAYAKING/PADDLE BOARDING This doesn’t matter if you have your own, but there’s a reason many watercraft rental companies only operate in the summer. Our area’s lakes teem with kayaks and boards during the summer because it’s hard to beat the joys of splashing, paddling and gliding across the surface while the sun’s rays dance across the water. Either one of these activities can burn some 500 calories per hour.

SOFTBALL/BASEBALL These diamond games are summer at its best, though you do need to round up at least a handful of friends or family members to create something approximating an actual game. Once you do you can make it as physically and socially rewarding as you’re looking for with rapid-fire hitting or relaxed intervals from home plate. These sports expel roughly 350 to 500 calories per hour.

SWIMMING Check out Mountain Valley Splash in Prescott Valley for a variety of water fun. Also, swimming is allowed in Lynx, Granite and Mingus lakes in Prescott National Forest. Swimming can consume 300 to 900 calories per hour — OK, the high end would be an hourlong marathon of butterfly stroke!

VOLLEYBALL This beach-born game is another example of a sport where outdoor courts tend to be more accessible either in a few local parks (AC Williams Granite Creek and Kuebler in Prescott, Wander Way in Prescott Valley, outside of the Community Center in Chino Valley) or in some backyards. It’s endlessly adaptable to the number of players you have as long as there’s at least two. Depending on the level of competition and activity, you can spike around 250 to 450 calories per hour.