Ow, it hurts. Everything hurts. We’re limping into the office this Tuesday morning and our bodies are sore and our minds are weak. We must persevere. The summer beckons, and if your Fourth looked anything like mine, those four burgers and countless red, white, and blue jello shots are going to be turning other areas of your body gelatinous as well. Here are the weekly outdoor fitness activities to get you out of the post-holiday funk and get you back to looking like an absolute hunk.
Cardio Kickboxing by No Excuse Workout
We begin the fitness week with a cathartic exercising and exorcising of our weekend demons. So what better way than by pantomiming violent movements directed at an unseen entity? Take out your frustrations on the air in front of you with this free class at the National Harbor. Take a quick drive down 295 to 165 Waterfront Street, Fort Washington, Md. at 7 p.m., and enjoy the one-hour session provided by No Excuse Workout. You’ll be right on the water, and your week will immediately start to feel a whole lot better.
Arlington Pub Run with Potomac River Running
Have you hit hump day with an unwillingness to relinquish your need for post-work beverages? We’ve got a good one for you today. To be honest, most of the runs I go on in my neighborhood are just slightly faster walks to a happy hour that I can rationalize because of the few calories I burned. So it’s nice to add some structure to that once in a while. Join Potomac River Running at 6:30 p.m. at their storefront. Sign in for your run, take off for 3-5 miles, then join the team for drinks at some Arlington establishments. People love it when you show up to the bar sweaty.
Tai Chi Class in Chinatown Park
Still feeling unsettled during the short work week? Thankfully it’s almost over, and Thursday morning should be a time to refocus and find your center before you’re ravaged by another weekend. At 8 a.m., head to Chinatown Park, located at the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and I Street Northwest, between 5th and 6th Street. This free wellness series sponsored by the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation will bring some balance to your weary mind. Leslie Knope would be proud.
DC Capital Striders Columbia Heights Run
Another morning event for some light cardio before we dial up the intensity tomorrow. Getting out of bed early is huge and will help release those endorphins and give you the energy boost you need leading into the weekend. Join this longstanding runners group at Rabaut Park, which is a place in my neighborhood that I have never heard of. Anyway, it’s 6:30 a.m., at the intersection of 16th Street and Columbia Road Northwest. Hopefully you can handle the four miles or so, at a variable pace. You’ll have enough time to shower afterwards before heading to work and blankly staring at a computer screen or whatever you do until 5 p.m.
Bootcamp with GetStrong Fitness Sweat Club
It’s the weekend and you’re finally ready for a full intensity workout. Join GetStrong Fitness Sweat Club at 11 a.m. at Florida Avenue Park, 1600 1st Street Northwest. Their bootcamp features high intensity interval training to maximize fat burning and muscle building. Kettlebells, resistance bands and more are combined for an hour of ass kicking, set to some probably cheesy DJ workout mixes. Your $11 sign-up includes two bootcamp sessions, plus a fundamental assessment to determine how out of shape you are and set goals for your transformation.
Sunday Serenity Yoga with Path2Be and ProYOGA
After that full expenditure of your energy on Saturday morning, we now look to find some peace on Sunday. Path2Be and ProYOGA Corporate Wellness host Serenity Sundays at 10 a.m. at the East Park of Dumbarton House, 2715 Q Street Northwest. It’s donation-based yoga, so bring five bucks and complete your week of recuperative workouts under the oaks in Georgetown. Express some gratitude. You won’t have a three day weekend to look forward to, but you will have hopefully conquered the soul-crushing pain of your holiday binge.
