New Orleans can be the perfect place to get on the right track with daily exercise and good eating habits. Don’t be afraid to avoid that freshmen 15 (even upperclassmen!) or the real dreaded “Tulane 20.” With such an amazing city at our fingertips, there are plenty of ways to be active and healthy without it seeming like a chore.
Compared to many of our collegiate counterparts around the country, the opportunities to be outside will last much longer in New Orleans. With that being said, it’s important to also take care of your body and think smart. Daily temperatures can easily reach the 90’s by mid-day –plan your exercise to take place in the morning, evening, or in shaded places. Don’t forget to drink lots of water and stretch before and after you workout.
Our advice: Be careful, but take advantage of the beautiful weather and get outside!
Audubon Park
Whether you are a runner or a yogi, take advantage of Tulane’s front yard. Audubon is for more than just runners and is an amazing exercise facility.
The blacktop track extends around the park about 1.75 miles and can be the perfect afternoon run, walk, or bike ride. The loop follows the park around its golf course and is always filled with people on any given day. Not only are there separate lanes for running and biking, but staggered around the circle, are different stations with muscle building workout equipment and instructions. Go by yourself or take a friend, this track is always a great scenic route to change up your daily workouts. For avid runners, there is a dirt path extending the park that can stretch your run up to 5 miles!
Maybe you aren’t into running, walking or riding. That’s fine! Audubon can be a quiet place to bring a yoga mat and practice your favorite poses alongside one of the ponds or in the quiet grass off to the side of the main path. Also, keep your eye out for Tulane sponsored yoga events, which are held in the park periodically.
Lastly, most of the space in Audubon is clearly taken up by a magnificent golf course. While golf isn’t the easiest sport to just “pick up” for the day, for experienced golfers, this beautiful course could end up being a great Saturday or Sunday morning activity.
Streetcar Tracks
Another of my favorite spots to run is always a great escape on a beautiful day: the streetcar tracks. As we all know too well, New Orleans sidewalks aren’t exactly smooth, but don’t let that stop you from going for a jog through the neighborhood. The streetcar tracks offer a great alternative to the park where you can find a flat surface. Running down to Carrollton Avenue is about a two mile run from Gibson and back, but if you like distance, don’t be afraid to head East. A run to Napoleon and back to school will offer you a little more than 3 miles, while providing scenery of St. Charles’ most beautiful and historic mansions. The tracks are a great place to run, especially since most of them aren’t operating right now, but for the parts that are, don’t forget to watch out!
Play outside!
Running, biking, yoga –these tasks aren’t for everyone, but there are still ways to spend time outside. This may sound like one of those Nickelodeon commercials telling you to go outside and play, but maybe they were right all along. What’s better on a beautiful day than grabbing some friends and heading to Newcomb Quad to toss around a frisbee or football? Play tennis, even for beginners this sport can be an amazing workout. You don’t need to be an athlete to be active and have fun, especially after sitting in overly air-conditioned classrooms all day.
Can’t wait to see you out there!