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 FITNESS FITNESS 

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HEALTHY LIVINGHEALTHY LIVING

Mountain View News Saturday, August 2, 2025


BEACH FUN FOR EVERYONE


Michele Silence, M.A. is a 37-year certified fitness 

professional who offers semi-private/virtual fitness 
classes. Contact Michele at michele@kid-fit.
com. Visit her Facebook page at: michelesfitness 
Visit her Facebook page at: michelesfitness.

The beach: sunny skies, waves crashing, the smell of sunscreen 
in the air. It’s the perfect place to relax—unless you’re 
a parent. Let’s be real. While you might dream of stretching 
out with a good book or taking a peaceful nap in your 
beach chair, your kids probably have a different plan. One 
that involves endless energy, sand everywhere, and shouts of 
“Watch me!” every 2.7 seconds.

So, how do you get a little peace and quiet at the beach 
while keeping your kids busy? Better yet, getting them to be 
physically active? Easy. Give them a few fitness-based beach 
games and challenges. You get your relaxation. They burn 
off their energy. Everyone wins.

Here are some fun, simple, and safe fitness activities your 
kids can do at the beach that won’t require much from you, 
except maybe a cheer or a high five now and then. If you 
REALLY want to motivate them come with a few gift cards 
in your hands (food, movies, music, etc) as a surprise for 
those who try the hardest, do the best and have the best attitude 
(of course you’ll make sure each of them gets something).

1. Beach Olympics Kids love a good competition. Set up a mini beach Olympics with events 
like:

• Sand Sprint: Pick a start and finish line using towels, sticks, or seaweed. Have them race 
back and forth. How many times depends on how tired you want to get them.

• Crab Walk Crawl: They walk on hands and feet, belly up like a crab. It looks funny and 
works the whole body!

• Long Jump into the Sand: See who can jump the farthest. Just like a true Olympian.

• Water Bucket Relay: Use small beach buckets to carry water from the ocean and dump 
it in a big hole. First one to fill their hole wins.

All you have to do is announce the events and sit back while they burn off some energy. 

2. Treasure Hunt Workout Bury small items like shells, plastic coins, or little toys 
in a certain area. Then give them clues or a list of things to find. For each item they find, they 
have to do an exercise before moving on—like five jumping jacks, three push-ups, or a silly 
dance.

They’ll stay busy digging, running, and moving. You can stay busy doing absolutely nothing. 
Glorious.

3. Build a Muscle-Making Sandcastle You might not think of building sandcastles as 
exercise but tell that to their sore arms tomorrow. All that digging, lifting wet sand, patting, 
shaping, and hauling buckets works their upper body and core muscles.

Want to make it even more active? Challenge them to:

• Build the tallest tower using only buckets of water and sand.

• Make a sand animal zoo and act out each animal when it’s done.

• Create a sand obstacle course and have them race through it.

You’ll be amazed at how long this keeps them busy—and how tired they get.

4. Beach Ball Blast Bring a couple of large, lightweight beach balls and let the 
games begin:

• Don’t Let It Touch the Ground: Keep the ball in the air as long as possible.

• Beach Ball Soccer: Set up goal posts using flip-flops and let them kick the ball back and 
forth.

• Wind Chase: On a breezy day, let the wind take the ball and have them run after it.

Just make sure you write your name on the ball. If it blows into someone else’s area, you’ll want 
it back. Especially if it becomes a neighborhood favorite.

Why does fitness at the beach matter? Besides giving you a moment to breathe (which is reason 
enough), beach fitness activities do a lot for your kids. They build coordination, strength, and 
endurance. They help improve focus and behavior. They sleep better at night (hallelujah!). 

And they learn that exercise can be fun, not just something grown-ups complain about.

Let’s face it, our kids don’t need more screen time. They need movement, fresh air, and a little 
sand between their toes. And you? You deserve at least 20 minutes with your eyes closed and 
your feet in the surf.

So go ahead. Pack the sunscreen, the towels, lots of refreshments and a snack bag. Just don’t forget 
the best beach tools of all are creativity and a few fitness games that keep the younger ones 
active while you kick back. Give it a try. Your beach day will be a whole lot better.

A VISIONARY LEADER: 

 Remembering Wallis Annenberg 

Philanthropist Wallis Annenberg died this week, and with her 
passing, Los Angeles lost a guiding light. But more than that, the 
city lost a fierce, generous, and unapologetically bold woman 
who understood the real power of giving, not as charity, but as 
transformation.

Wallis Annenberg's name is etched into our cultural and civic life: 
the Annenberg Space for Photography, the pet-friendly Annenberg PetSpace, countless 
arts institutions, environmental efforts, and vital re-entry programs for formerly incarcerated 
individuals. Her vision was holistic, intersectional, and deeply rooted in love. I know 
this not only from headlines, but from experience. Years ago, I had the privilege of participating 
in two major Annenberg Foundation programs designed to strengthen nonprofit 
leadership and build entrepreneurial capacity. That opportunity expanded my thinking 
and sharpened my purpose.

She believed in backing my favorite people: innovators, rule-breakers, and people reimagining 
what's possible. "We invest in innovators," she once said. "That way, their example can 
be copied, and leveraged, creating change on a scale no philanthropist could ever afford."

This wasn't just a theory for Wallis Annenberg; it was her life's practice. She lived by Winston 
Churchill's wisdom: "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what 
we give." Over her lifetime, she distributed nearly $2 billion in grants and philanthropy to 
nonprofits, innovative projects, and community organizations.

She understood what I call the law of circulation: that resources, money, influence, and opportunity 
are meant to move. To heal. To lift. "I've always been aware of the privilege that 
I have financially," she once reflected. "And at the same time, I knew it wasn't going to fill 
me up. I can't keep it unless I can give it away. It's got to be a two-way street."

Wallis exemplified what happens when women have access to wealth and power: we share. 
We support. We uplift. This isn't just anecdotal; statistics back it. Research shows women 
are 40% more likely to engage in philanthropy than men and volunteer nearly twice as 
often. With an estimated $1 trillion in personal wealth about to shift hands through intergenerational 
transfer, mostly to women, our influence is only growing.

Sometimes philanthropy sounds too big and out of reach, but in reality, it can simply be a 
way of being, a natural extension of caretaking and community stewardship. Of creating a 
world where we all get to thrive.

Her legacy is both blueprint and invitation: to give generously, to lead boldly, and to recognize 
that power isn't something we hoard. It's something we share.

Rest well, Wallis Annenberg. Your life made a difference and showed us a way forward.

Have you thought about your legacy, your impact? If you'd like to fine-tune your vision 
and extend your ripple, join us at the Visionary Leader Salon on August 9th—a one-day 
workshop where we have expansive conversations about building lives that give us more 
LIFE. For more information, visit loriaharris.com/workshop.

Lori A. Harris


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