Best outdoor workouts spots in Canadian cities
Summer...the perfect time to get outside and celebrate everything Canadian cities have to offer. Whether you’re traveling to other parts of the country or staying put in your own city, there are lots of active ways to enjoy the outdoors, see new neighborhoods AND build in an effective workout.
For some fresh ideas about urban workouts, GoodLife Fitness asked its associates and personal trainers to provide an insider’s perspective – the best places to work out across the city and their favorite exercises to do there (when they’re not at the gym):
Edmonton
River valley stairs: Not only are the river valleys scenic, but they’re accompanied by long staircases to ascend to more populated city areas. Walking or running up and down Edmonton’s outdoor staircases is a quick, accessible outdoor workout. Some favorite stairways include
- Glenora Stairs – accessed through Ezio Faraone Park and offer a fabulous view of the High-Level bridge and the south side of Edmonton
- Hotel MacDonald Stairs – Because of their central location, this set of stairs behind the Fairmont Hotel MacDonald is perfect for a quick, weekday lunch hour workout.
Calgary
Prince’s Island Park: A great place to throw a football or frisbee, do yoga/animal flow or fit in a bodyweight workout (the Enmax stage provides a flat surface if the grass is not ideal). This park is also a perfect starting point for your run or cycling route or to push off in your kayak. There’s a GoodLife Fitness nearby for mobility exercises and a shower before stopping in for lunch and ‘beer bicep curls’ at the Barley Mill.
Saskatoon
Sutherland Dog Park: With 55 acres of green space, trees and trails this park is a convenient, central place to walk, jog, or take your mountain bike. At the north end of the park, there are some riverbank trails that are beautiful for walking. Even further north the trails become much steeper and wind up and down the river bank. This northern end of the park is perfect for mountain biking and trail running, a rare find in a flat prairie city.
Winnipeg
Kildonan Park: With a 1.6-kilometre pathway this is a great place to run laps in a natural environment. There is also lots of green space and a play structure for bodyweight exercises, yoga or pull-ups. Take advantage of the benches in the picnic area to do bodyweight exercises like tricep dips, step-ups, and push-ups. Or kick a ball up and down the soccer field and do some sprinting and walking lunges.
Ottawa
Mooney’s Bay Park – With lots of trails, green space, and a beach, Mooney’s Bay Park is a perfect spot for to ride your bike, rollerblade, or even a play some beach volleyball. The Terry Fox Stadium in the park has a track for interval training and bleachers for cardio intensive sprinting.
Halifax
Point Pleasant Park: Anyone visiting Halifax should run, walk or bike ride (on weekdays) through Point Pleasant Park to enjoy some urban wilderness. There are park benches all through the park for step ups, elevated push-ups, and tricep dips. There’s even a set of outdoor fitness machines near Black Rock Beach.
St. John’s
Signal Hill: Locals and tourists alike will get the most bang for their fitness buck when they climb Signal Hill by foot (walking, running or both). With stunning views and a challenging incline, this is the best possible way to see the sights while fitting in a workout in St. John’s. Dress for the weather, as it can get windy up there. But always worth it.
Personal trainers in cities across Canada are available to take you to their favorite workout spots to show you some urban exercise moves. They can also suggest tips for building in outdoor exercise to complement your gym routine. Please let me know if you’re interested in connecting with a trainer in your area.
