5 Unexpected Ways To Get Fit And Have Fun In Boise

Between the Boise River and the Treasure Valley's fresh water ponds/lakes Stand Up Paddle Boards' popularity have exploded over the past 5 years.  While just jumping on one and paddling around Quinn's Pond for a half hour will improve your cardio, give you a full body workout and help you master balance there's a group that's taking SUP to the next level!  Idaho River Sports offers a SUP yoga class for students of all levels.  That means if you've never done a downward facing dog in your life, you're still perfect for this class that will strengthen both your body and mind!

When someone says you're working on your core today, you automatically start dreading crunches and planks but Fly Boise offers you a totally different way to work those abs and upper body muscles.  The new trapeze school lets people of all ages and abilities master at least one trapeze trick including being tossed to another catcher on a separate trapeze.  Aerial arts also keeps your booty and inner thighs toned without having to crank out 100s of squats.  If you've ever wanted to run away and join the circus or you know, just fly this is one of your top picks for getting active in the Treasure Valley!

Sure, Boise doesn't border the Pacific Ocean but that doesn't mean you can't catch a wave here!  Travel down the greenbelt into Garden City and you'll find crowds of people watching the river surfers.  The Boise River Park uses a hydraulic wave shaper to adjust water levels and give surfers the perfect waves to hang 10, work on the safety skills and master those aerial techniques you see during televised surfing competitions!  It's pretty cool to see in Idaho and has another major benefit surfing the Pacific doesn't...no sharks to punch in the face! Too soon?

It's easy to assume that once the snow melts at Bogus Basin and all the skiers/snowboarders have packed away their gear that the mountain is just empty in the summer.  That couldn't be further from the truth!  Bogus has now made it possible for mountain bikers from the top of the mountain into the foothills.  So how do you get to the top?  Bogus operates it's normal ski lifts for scenic rides and bike transports several days during the summer!  From the top, bikers can now reach the new Eagle Velodrome and Cycling Park through the Shafer Butte trail system.

Bodybuilding.com was born in the Treasure Valley, so it's no surprise that the company wanted to give fitness back to the community.  They've donated outdoor gyms to Ann Morrison and Camel's Back Park.  The weatherproof equipment lets people row, leg press, combo press & squat press using their own body weight.  They also have a jump bar and plyo boxes for people to work on their agility! It's a great way to jump out of your regular greenbelt run and add a little resistance training into your workout!