If you like to exercise near one of Georgia’s many lakes or rivers, or you live near the ocean, you have the opportunity to take your workout onto a sandy surface. Running or walking on sand can help strengthen your ankles and force these muscle groups to handle different stress patterns than they’d experience on a sturdier surface, but exercising on sand can also lead to injuries if you’re not careful. In today’s blog, we share some tips for exercising on sand so that you can stay injury free.
Helpful Tips For Exercising On Sand
If you want to take your workout to a sandy surface, be sure that you keep these tips in mind so that you don’t end up exposing your feet and ankles to heightened injury risk.
1. Aim For The Firm, Wet Sand – Running on sand can help strengthen overlooked areas of your ankles and feet, but you don’t want your running surface to be too unpredictable. If you try to run on dry, lumpy sand, you’re going to be landing awkwardly with each step, and that can overstress your ankle ligaments and Achilles tendons. Run on a more predictable and firmer sandy surface by running along the shoreline where the sand is a little wet.
2. Ease Into It – If you’re running four miles regularly on a firmer surface like concrete or a track, don’t assume you’ll be able to do the same distance during your first sand workout. Again, you’re going to be testing and stressing new muscle groups, so take things slow and gradually build up your time or distance.
3. Sunscreen – Odds are the weather will be decent if you’re taking your exercise routine outdoors and onto the sand, so be sure that you apply sunscreen to your exposed skin, including on your feet. The feet and ankles are oft-overlooked areas when it comes to applying sunscreen, and failing to take precautions can lead to sunburn or increase your risk of certain types of cancers.
4. Mind The Sand Temperature – If the sand temperature is too hot, it can end up burning the bottoms of your feet with each step. Sand temperature can be much higher than air temperature, as a 75-degree day can mean that beach sand reaches temperatures of 100 degrees. Listen to your feet when you’re exercising on sand, and aside from discomfort, if you notice redness or blisters developing, you may want to move off the hot sand.
5. Don’t Always Go In The Same Direction – Sand typically slopes a little downward as it approaches the water, so there’s a chance you’ll be exercising on a slightly unbalanced surface. If you’re always running with the water to your left, you’ll always be putting this unbalanced stress on one side of your body. By switching directions and running with the beach on either side of you at different times, you’ll reduce the likelihood that muscle groups will be overstressed or become imbalanced due to this natural ground slope.
Exercising on sand can do wonders for foot and ankle strength and flexibility, but a sandy surface can sometimes be unpredictable, so keep these tips in mind to reduce your injury risk. And of course, if an injury does develop, reach out to Dr. Silverman by filling out this contact form.