Bergen Family Chiropractic

45 North Lake Ave, Bergen, NY 14416 - (585) 494-2870

Bergen Family Chiropractic

21 Healthy Summer Activities to Elevate Your Summer Fun

by Dr. Amy Mercovich

Outdoor games – Frisbee, corn hole, can jam, ladder golf, Bocci

Explore the parks in your region or venture further to a state or national park. Bring a sandwich and a portable piece of fruit to eat halfway through your hike.

Geocaching – check out the geocaching website for the details. This is especially fun for kids because it turns a hike into a treasure hunt!

Go fishing. It’s a quiet activity in nature… quite meditative.

Walk or bike on the West Shore rails-to-trails pathway. Drews Nature Center on West Sweden Rd in Bergen is a great place to access this path. Take a look at the spring fed ponds while you are there.

Go on the Erie Canal path. Meet a friend there so you aren’t alone to be safer.

Buy fresh, seasonal produce at farmers’ markets or join a local CSA. Each week, make it a priority to eat what is freshly picked.

Swim. Find a pool, pond, lake, or ocean and go for it! You’ll feel like a kid again. Remember those childhood days when you spent all day in a bathing suit? Do that again. It’s fun.

Freeze fruit and turn it into a healthy “slushie”. Blend up frozen watermelon and strawberry chunks with a fresh-squeezed lime and some seltzer. So refreshing!

Walk first thing in the morning….well, after your coffee is fine. Either tune into the sounds of Mother Nature and her birds or listen to fun podcasts or an audiobook. Morning walks are peaceful and make you feel virtuous all day.

Make a smoothie with frozen fruit. You can actually make it taste like a chocolate milkshake, if you want, by adding cocoa powder to a blender with frozen bananas and milk of your choice. It tastes great with a big scoop of peanut butter or almond butter in there, too!

Go fruit picking with your family or a friend. It saves you money and it’s a great way to be outdoors doing something useful.

Walk at Hamlin Beach or the Charlotte Pier. When I was a kid, we used to make an annual trip to the Charlotte beach and pier in Rochester in the big family station wagon. Of course, it was always the hottest day of the year and there was no air conditioning in the car. We would end the adventure with ice cream from Abbott’s. 🙂 Memories…

Have a friendly game of water balloon “war.”

Make homemade popsicles with a blend of your favorite fruit and fruit juice. You could also make a coffee version with leftover coffee and a bit of sweetener and milk of your choice.

Spend a few hours at a high ropes course. Ski resorts around us have them and they are open for the season. (Bristol Mountain, Holiday Valley, Greek Peak) My family LOVED doing this a couple of years ago and we want to do another one this year. It feels scary for only the first 5 minutes then you just get to work accomplishing the goals of the course. It’s a good upper body workout as well.

Camp out in the back yard. Pitch a tent, fill it with sleeping pads and blankets, and you have the fun of camping without the crowds, cost, or travel time. (And, you can go inside to your own bed whenever you want!)

Explore area waterfalls in Leroy, Warsaw, Holley, and Naples. It’s so much fun to hike in a creek on a hot day.

Take an online or YouTube yoga class outdoors.

Fly a kite or something remote controlled. You’ll feel like a kid again.

Enjoy a sunset. Be still and in awe. Just look at it and appreciate the beauty.

Be happy and enjoy the Summer!!!!