A new year is a great time to reset and reboot, and one of the more popular resolutions (or intentions) is exercising. Whether you’re looking for a beachfront strength training workout sure to make you sweat or prefer a water activity like kayaking or stand-up paddleboarding, Greater Fort Lauderdale offers plenty of options to work out in the great outdoors while on a vacation or a staycation.
Here are some of the best local attractions, waterways, and even resorts where you can get a headstart on your new year's resolution.
Rooftop Hotel Fitness
Take a dip in the year-round rooftop pool (a workout in itself) after a fitness class at The Kimpton Goodland, Fort Lauderdale Beach. Fitness classes, complimentary to guests, include yoga, and some workouts are open to the public. Hotel guests receive access to on-site boogie boards and bike rentals to ride down to Fort Lauderdale beach, only a block away. Another Kimpton perk? Guest rooms feature in-room yoga mats if you prefer to stretch out solo. Plus, enjoy some local history while doing sun salutations at the Kimpton, formerly known as the Escape Hotel, the first year-round hotel on Fort Lauderdale Beach, completed in 1951.
Another hotel workout spot with incredible Atlantic Ocean views is The Westin Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort. The Westin offers fitness classes, including weekend yoga — part of the WestinWORKOUT series — to resort guests and the public. You can also soak up sea views from the fitness area of the resort’s top floor parking deck, where OutFit HIIT takes place at 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays.
After indulging in a shopping spree at Sawgrass Mills in Sunrise — one of the country’s largest outlet centers — head to the adjacent AC Hotel Fort Lauderdale Sawgrass Mills/Sunrise for moonlight rooftop yoga and meditation on the Horizon Rooftop, which shows off panoramic shots of the surrounding city. The complimentary event — which ranges from vinyasa to ashtanga and restorative yoga — takes place at 7 p.m. on the second Tuesday of the month in collaboration with Lululemon and South Florida's Yoga Joint, which has infrared-heated studios in nearby Davie and Pembroke Pines.
On the Beach & Water
If you’re staying along the beach at The Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood, you can try a new workout every day of your trip. As a resort guest, enjoy complimentary access to a daily group HIIT (high-intensity interval training) class in the new, two-story Core Fitness Training Center. Classes are held every day except on Sundays. Guests can also take advantage of a complimentary hour of kayak, paddleboard, or bike rentals each day during their stay. Keep an eye out for beachfront yoga classes (complimentary for guests or $25 if you’re not staying at the hotel). Launching soon: full moon yoga classes guided by wellness activist and life coach Lisa Dwoskin.
For those who prefer to be on the sand, W Fort Lauderdale hosts daily alternating sunrise beach yoga and boot camp (included in the resort fee) in front of the hotel at 8 a.m. for hotel guests. Sea Sycle hosts spin classes throughout the week at the W, complimentary to guests and open to the public.
Of course, there’s also the option to get out on the water. Do like the locals do and go on a stand-up paddleboard tour through a small slice of the county’s 300 miles of waterways. One top pick: saltwater estuary Whiskey Creek in Dania Beach, where there’s a weekly sunset tour on Fridays at Mizell-Johnson State Park.
Flamingo Gardens Classes & More
On Las Olas, the LO/OP Fit program offers several outdoor group fitness classes, including 10 a.m. yoga on the lawn with Lisa Pumper on Saturdays at the Las Olas Oceanside Park Farmers Market, as well as sunrise kettlebell and bodyweight training sessions on Wednesdays and Fridays at 6 a.m. on the Sunset Terrace of the Las Olas Beach Garage. Classes range in price from $10 to $20 (or are part of a membership fee), but LO/OP also hosts buy one, get one free class the first week of the month.
The Yellow Green Farmers Market in Hollywood is another spot where you’ll find weekend yoga, with free classes held at 9:30 a.m. in the East Garden Patio (hosted by Bend & Breathe Yoga Studio) and a 10 a.m. power yoga with YogaSix Hollywood.
Meanwhile, over in Davie at the botanical garden and wildlife sanctuary Flamingo Gardens, yoga takes on a local twist with swamp-themed storytime for the little ones in the Children’s Garden on the first Sunday of the month. After reading together in the garden under a southern live oak, kids can use their imagination for breathing and yoga exercises based on the animals in the story and the sanctuary. For adults, there’s an outdoor yoga class every Sunday, 8:30 a.m.-9:45 a.m.
Wellness-seekers can also relax and unwind by participating in a free yoga class on the Lawn at Dania Pointe (across from Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant and Rodizio Grill) on the second Wednesday of every month, with two classes, from 6 p.m.-7 p.m. and 7 p.m.-8 p.m. Before or after you break up a sweat, peruse handmade aromatherapy and other wellness and fitness-inspired crafts at the Wellness Market open from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Check out each hotel and attraction website for the current schedule and make a reservation for a 2022 class.
However you stick to your resolutions or intentions this year, you’ve got plenty of options here in Greater Fort Lauderdale.