Beach holidays are for relaxing, sure. But read on and you might just be convinced to pack gym clothes amongst the bikinis when you go away this year.
According to orthopedic surgeon Dr. Kelton Vasileff, running on the beach can work your body harder without you even realizing. And with the promise of a more effective workout - plus the nice weather and the beaut surroundings, of course - going for a morning jog on the beach while on vacation actually sounds quite appealing.
"Running on the beach can certainly be a good thing," Dr Vasileff told Live Science, adding that the main benefit comes from how different sand is as a terrain compared to running on a pavement or a track.
"As you push off, you're going to lose some of your push as the sand moves," the doctor said. Being so uneven, he explained that sand "is constantly moving and changing step to step". This gives your body an extra workout because you have to use muscles that don't usually get engaged when running on firmer surfaces.
Your core in particular will get an enhanced workout, as will other muscles in your lower legs and lower back. But running on sand does come with some downsides, too. Dr. Vasileff noted that this extra exertion can leave you feeling more sore than you otherwise might after a run.
Having said that, the doctor also explained that sand has "high shock absorptive qualities". If you're exercising at a high intensity on the beach, you're actually less likely to cause muscle damage due to how shock absorptive the terrain is. And there's scientific evidence to back it up. One study, published in 2017 in the European Journal of Sport Science, showed that women had less indication of muscle inflammation in their blood after running on the sand, compared to when they ran on grass.
So if you don't mind the idea of interspersing your cocktails by the pool with a couple of light runs on the beach, give it a go. Your muscles will be in better shape for it.
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