Five Outdoor Workouts

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Thursday, September 02, 2010

GoLocalProv Lifestyle Editor Andrea E. McHugh

With schedules adapting to the kids back in the classroom, summer hours cruelly yanked off the corporate table, and area soccer and football fields booked for weekends as far as the eye can see, getting to the gym can easily fall by the wayside. Reinvigorate your workout, and languish in the great outdoors before temperatures drop, by changing the scenery and trying something new.

1. Paso Doble your way to a tightened and toned physique at weekly dances by the sea. The Towers in Narragansett offers dance lessons every Wednesday with a professional dance instructor. Ballroom, Latin, swing and the Argentine tango instruction is offered through the night. Cost is just$12 per person, per class; or $20 per person for two or more classes same evening. For schedule and details, click here.

2. It’s included as part of the intro in just about any police/fire/crime television show or movie set in Boston: rowing at daybreak down the Charles River, but you don’t have to head to Beantown to experience the glory of rowing. Narragansett Boat Club (NBO), on the banks of the Seekonk River, offers Olympic-style rowing classes for novice and veterans alike. Session 5 runs September 13 - October 21, but get the feel for it first via Free Rowing Lessons offered during the NBO Open House on September 4. Register in advance at (required) by clicking here.

3. Tracing much of the coastline, the beloved East Bay Bike Path is ideal for walking, running cycling and rollerblading–all made sweeter by a convenient, centrally-located Del’s Lemonade pit stop. As the leaves invite the slightest hints of autumn hues, this is the time to take advantage of less tourists and congestion on the 14.5-mile path.

4. A great core workout, hitting the driving range this time of year is ideal as crowds have dissipated and the temperatures begin to cool. More than half a dozen ranges are found throughout the state; click here to find one near you.

5. Happy hour takes on a whole new meaning for both experienced and novice kayakers at The Kayak Centre of Wickford. Their $35 Sunset Paddle on Friday evenings includes a tranquil trip through either Wickford Harbor or Ninigret Pond in Charlestown; equipment included.