Saturday in the Park...

...I think it was boot camp with a pregnant drill instructor. (My apologies to Chicago.)

It was actually Personal Touch in the Park, a small group Jazzercise fitness class led by Fara. (Who runs rings around all of us in spite of being pregnant.)

Our view. I mean really, could it get any better than this?

And it was fabulous. Really. We had a gorgeous, Top-10 spring morning, crisp and brilliant with blue skies and low humidity. The kind of day that makes you want to buy a convertible and 
ride around in it.

We started with a short run/walk.

We started with a short run and a few stretches to get the blood moving and then launched into our workout, making use of curbs and park benches and sign posts. The class went by in a flash. Somehow, when you're working out under blue skies with birdsong as the sound track, exercise feels adventurous and new. 
I highly recommend it.

Chest and back flies with a tube.

It's also very low maintenance, meaning you don't have to have a lot of bells and whistles to get a good work out. Fara brought tubes from the studio but most of the routine simply made us of our body weight and the park's "equipment." You can easily turn the outdoors into a gym. Here's a few ideas.

• At PT in the Park, we did squats and step-ups on a picnic table.
  
• Run or walk stairs. I found this great stair workout on the Fit Sugar website with a variety of options, such as climbing stairs with high knees or going up and down sideways.
• Do triceps dips and push-ups on a park bench.
• Use the monkey bars at the playground for  pull-ups or lift your knees to target the abs.

Overall, it was a glorious and energizing way to start my Saturday. I think I'll do it again next week!

One legged squats on the curb.