Two of my favorite things to do in life is exercise and connect with nature. Being able to combine those two activities helps me wind down during any stressful day. One of my favorite beaches to run on in California is the Zuma beach strand, the closer to sunset the better. Going to the beach during the day naturally has a calming effect, but when you add a beautiful sunset and an empty beach you can almost feel the stress radiating out of your body and you start filling with an overwhelming tranquil feeling. One reason I love to run on Zuma beach late in the afternoon and into the night is because every time I run on the beach I encounter some type of wildlife, call it a coincidence or just random luck but I like to believe that I encounter the same sealion each time I run on this beach. Every time I have gone running on this I have also encountered a pod of dolphins most of the times off in the distance but every now and then I will see them just past the waves.
I believe everyone deserves to live a long, happy and healthy life. One major road block on our path to a long happy, healthy life is stress. With the society we live in today stress is knocking on our door every hour on the hour. Two proven methods to help deal with stress is time in nature and exercising. The great thing about the beach and the ocean is the offer you two methods to reduce your daily stress for the price of one. Spending time at a beach does nothing but promote a healthy life but also gives the average person a chance to witness animals living in their natural environment. On any given day at zuma beach you have the opportunity to see dolphins, sea lions, and various different species of birds.
Zuma may be a popular beach during the day time but once the sun starts setting the crowd starts vanishing. This is the very reason why I prefer to go to the beach, specifically why I enjoy running on zuma beach during the evening. During this time I get to do everything recommended for a healthy mind and healthy body. I get to run on the sand while the water flows over my feet, I get to reflect on whatever troubling me in my life for the moment, all the while staring off at a priceless sunset, and I get to connect with marine life that share this great planet with us. While I am living here in south
ern California Zuma beach will always be natures treadmill for me and a 24/7 free therapy session.
I completely agree that one of the keys to living a healthy life is reducing stress. While I am not a runner, I also love to go to the beach to destress. Almost every weekend, I try to go the beach. When I am there I either enjoy taking a walk down the beach or to go for swim. I wish I did it more ritualistically as you said in your post. I think it is a very worth while experience.
Great post! I also go running at Zuma and i completely agree to why it’s worth it. The wildlife around there is fun to run into, especially the sea lions that hang out at the very end of the beach