Working Out in Tampa Bay
I’ve been working out mostly in Tampa Bay for the past couple of years. I think it’s a great place to get in shape while getting a nice tan. The weather is usually perfect for a workout. And if you are like me and like to sweat, then the Tampa heat will definitely get you going!
Thanks to that heat I’ve nearly passed out twice. It’s not a good feeling. It’s important to keep hydrated and know when enough is enough. It’s one thing to train intensely, but it’s another to train stupidly. I do most of my exercise in The Shack or outdoors. The Shack can get pretty hot when I close the doors, but I try not to do that too often. I usually train in the morning or early evening when I go in The Shack. If my days workout is an outdoor one, I like to train around 2 PM.
One of the great things about working out in Tampa is that everything is far away. You need a car to get around or you’ll be stuck. As a side thing I usually take trips to the Publix grocery store on foot. It turns into a 30 minute walk each way. Which is a great little workout on it’s own. I usually do that as a side cardio session. Sometimes I’ll even walk to the Citrus Park Mall which is about 45 minutes away on foot. For a big guy I can do a lot of walking.
I even found a great path the other day that I try to walk every weekend. Keyword is try. LOL. I’ll post about that soon. I seem to have misplaced the photos I took. So I’ll need to take my camera with me next time I go. Aside from that I’ll walk to the park and do some calisthenics. I’ll usually do burpees, push ups, mountain climbers, and sprints. There is playground equipment for doing dips and pull ups too. The rainy season is from May to August so it get’s pretty annoying when it starts raining all the time. It cuts the amount of time I can train outdoors. Just yesterday I got caught in the rain.
Two things I have taken away with me from working out in Tampa Bay is that I should 1. always be hydrated and 2. find shade whenever possible.
Where do you do most of your working out?
I used to live down there.
When I was 15, me and my dad cleared 5 acres of land out in the country (in FL) to live on. That wouldn’t be so bad, save for a few key points:
1) We had both lived in Canada for almost our entire lives
2) My dad ran a construction company that specialized in road work, so we had very few of the correct tools.
3) The land was untouched for 200 years!!!!
So every morning me, my dad, and my dog would drive out into the country and cut down trees. We brought tons of water and took frequent breaks. As a northerner, I’ll never forget how brutal that experience was!! lol
To answer your question, I do most of my training in the harsh Canadian snow — Rocky style!! lol Just kidding. I do my interval work outdoors when the weather is nice (march-october, changes year to year though). Sometimes my friends and I will go do some stupid conditioning game: like sprint up the hill with someone on your back, and then bear crawl down. Or we will go do strongman GPP work like tireflipping or pulling/pushing cars. Mostly though, I’m just in a stuffy fitness club. 🙂 lol
I can only imagine how brutal that must have been. Wow.
I mostly work out at the gym. I think it’s because I need to feel like I’m competing against the other people around me. I find that I don’t push myself nearly as hard when I work out at home alone. I’ve also been doing walking/running workouts with my students. We do like 2.25 miles a day, and I have been trying to add to that on my own.
Try running outside, I feel that I need to perform at my best when I’m outside. I make believe that I am competing in a sport that’s being televised nationally. Helps motivate me.
God I live in the rainy UK and can only imagine how nice it would be to work out in those conditions.
Yea, compared to the overcrowded gyms, I find it best to workout outdoors, especially when the weather is nice and the sun is out. In the outdoors, I tend to work up a sweat more, and when you’re sweating, you feel like you’re really working your body and exerting your energy. You want to feel like the hard work is paying off and any sign (i.e. sweat) will do.
I got you neat on the walks! I’ve walked a few times to the petsmart at the other end of town to get cat food and litter. Of course I would take the bis back because the boxes of litter are about 40 pounds each, but that walk is about 18 miles. Now that’s a walk.
very