Santa Monica

I recently spent a few days in Santa Monica and Hidden Hills, CA visiting with a couple of celebrity trainers. While I was there I of course had to workout. I did not make it to Santa Monica Power Yoga this time but still had a great workout overall. This time it was on the beach. It seems like everyone works out on the beach there. I took a bike ride from the Santa Monica Pier to Venice Beach. What a great ride! I kept asking myself how some people can make excuses to not do this on a daily basis even in sunny CA.

You have everything right outside your door. A bike path along the beach to ride, roller blade, walk and jog not to mention the ocean. What really separates this place from other places are not the hoop courts or multiple volleyball nets everywhere but rather the "outdoor gyms." These gyms are open 24/7 and have the sun and stars as your lights and the sand as your floor. They are fully equipped with dip and pull-up bars, gymnastic rings and even an area to climb rope that was probably 30-40' high - talk about a trainers dream.

At one point I was watching a women do a hula hoop and juggling workout (seriously) that was non-stop, I watched a wrestling dude perform a great dynamic warm-up around a 20' x 20' patch of grass, while others were doing hand stands, climbing rope, doing dips/push-ups - you get the picture.

I vote every beach (back home on the east coast) gets this type of outdoor gym not just Santa Monica. Reality hit when I got home - I was walking with my Mom on a beach on the North Shore of Boston and began longing for the bike path along the beach with the climbing ropes, gymnastic rings, dips.......