How to Stay Fit in Hervey Bay

As a town with mobility scooter stores aplenty, Hervey Bay is often times referred to as the “Land of the newly wed and nearly dead”. But great strides are being taken to turn this retirement town into a younger more appealing tourism destination.

To replicate the popular cali surf town, some have even gone as far as suggesting a complete name change from Hervey Bay to Newport Beach. Though this was unanimously knocked down, it is very apparent that a large emphasis is being put on sport and fitness to attract a younger crowd.

And because I am completely gung-ho about this idea, I present to you the following ways I have found to stay fit here in the Bay:

1) Get your swim on!

One of my greatest finds to-date is this beauty:

Seriously, the most beautiful pool I have ever swam in! Eight glorious lap lanes. 50 full meters surrounded by beautiful palm trees. What more could you ask for? If you happen to be down the block, and have any interest in lap swimming at all, you got to check her out at the Hervey Bay Aquatic Center.  And boy oh boy am I glad I went to college! My student ID gave me a dollar concession, putting the entry fee at $3.60 AUS which amounts to $3.14 USD. You can’t beat that!

2) Run, run, run

Another glorious find that my host told me about is Parkrun! A FREE 5k run that takes place every Saturday at 7am just half a mile from my comfy bed. Sign up once, print out your personal bar code, and show up week after week to see how you improve (or maybe not so much). It is so motivating to start your weekend off by running with 150 of your closest neighbors. And not only is this taking place in parks across Australia, it is also international!  Come on Chicago, keep up!

3) Goodbye Annual Memberships

These free outdoor gym stations make me so happy! They use your own bodyweight so you are bound to get a solid workout in. Thirty minutes of running on the sand and 15 minutes spent here and you are golden. And more importantly, not a single dollar was spent!

4) Beach Cruisin’

This little bugger has been my main form of transportation for the past month. Though quite slow and steady, it has gotten me to the shopping center, the grocery store, and more importantly to Enzo’s!

 

5) And finally, if you find yourself with access to kayaks or paddle boats, take em’ out for a spin. I have absoultely no knowledge on how this whole tide thing works, but it sure sneaks up on you fast. Prepare yourself for either a tough ride out to sea or to maybe possibly get stranded by only being able to make 360 degree turns instead of returning back to land ( not that that happened to us or anything, I am just guessing). Nonetheless, I sure had some sore muscles for the next few days.

 

And at the very top of my list of ways not to stay fit in the bay are these bad boys:

It was cheaper to buy the value pack then it was a single serving, so I guess you gotta do what you gotta do!