Hey, Summer Campers!
The camp season approaches so fast and brings so much to do to get ready for! It’s smart to start preparing now. One thing you can take care of right now is to make the appointment for your camper’s physical. Camp activities are fun, but strenuous on the body which is why any soon-to-be-camper should have a thorough examination to ensure their physical fitness is adequate. In fact, many camps will refuse a camper who hasn’t had their physical.
Every Monday this month, we’ll be focusing on fitness and how to condition yourself for the rigors of summer camp. I’ll give you great tips about stretches and exercises you can do in preparation of particular summer camp activities. But before we get into any specifics, today I’ll be sharing general ways to make sure you have the energy to get through an average day of summer camp.
For most camps, traditional sports are a staple of the camp activities they offer. Campers might find themselves playing a sport they don’t otherwise play very often like basketball, soccer, tennis, and plenty others. These sports all require you to be quick on your feet with a good amount of running as well as upper and lower body strength.
Similar exercises will cover multiple athletic activities—pretty much all of the traditional sports. You can get yourself into better shape with simple 
routines. Try pushups and chin-ups (if available) for building your upper body strength. Here’s a helpful video to show you a proper push-up and this video shows you a proper chin-up.
Squats and lunges are great means of building your hip and leg muscles. And jump rope is especially great for conditioning your calves. Here’s a video that’s targeted toward tennis players, however it’s a helpful workout for all types of activities. On top of all this, running or jogging is a wonderful calisthenics workout and builds stamina for all the back and forth running you’ll do playing these sports.
Just as important as good exercises, stretching is key to your flexibility which is called upon a lot in sports that you’ll likely play at camp. Try stretching as shown in these drawings to get yourself limber. 
l l Don’t forget to tune in next Monday when I’ll cover more specific exercises and stretches you can do for horseback riding. Get fit and, as always, thanks for reading!
- John