There’s a different energy around Columbia—can you feel it?

The sun is rising on a new season and with it comes warmer temperatures, extended daylight hours, vibrantly green leaves on the trees, and bold blooms popping up out of the ground. The streets are filled in the early morning hours with runners tackling every distance from 5K to full marathons in the busy spring road race season, highlighted by the Governor’s Cup. Fitness classes are breaking free of their traditional studios and moving outdoors for a fresh spin on their routine. Kayakers are paddling along our local waterways and Dreher Island is filled with camping tents every weekend.

It’s a season to be active and to be outside!
As we take a look at health and fitness in this issue, we want to introduce you to three fit and fun lifestyles around Columbia that are waiting for you to explore this spring.

For all the Active Moms

We know just how busy life can be as a young professional in Columbia, especially when you’re working and raising a family of your own. Time is precious and you’re always on the hunt for ways to be more efficient with how you spend your days. You’re in luck! There are local entrepreneurs who have dreamed up businesses to fit the active and healthy lifestyle that you’re after.

There’s an abundance of gyms around town that offer group fitness classes that are perfect for you, no matter your current fitness level. Schedule in 30 minutes at Basecamp Fitness where you’ll activate muscles you didn’t know you had in their quick high intensity workouts. Meet with the trainers at Results Fitness who will take your goals and your schedule, and will come up with a plan for you that will get you where you want to be. Love, challenge, and build your body at Temple Columbia.

When you’re short on time but still looking to eat healthy, you can drop by any number of Columbia restaurants that cater to providing exceptional meals quickly. Tasty as Fit is a grab-n-go spot that focuses on a plant-based, gluten-free menu where all items are made fresh by hand daily. Boost your immune system and promote natural healing when you stop by Lil Duck Kombucha for a freshly brewed gallon of their popular kombucha.

Having a busy lifestyle isn’t a problem—it offers you ways to get creative with how you build health and fitness into your days, and Columbia has plenty of businesses to help you along the way.

Workout Classes & Personal Training

• Alpha One Fitness
• Anytime Fitness
• barre 3
• Basecamp Fitness
• Jamie Scott Fitness
• Results Fitness
• Temple Columbia

Healthy Snacks and Meals

• Clean Juice
• Good Life Café
• Lil Duck Kombucha
• Tasty as Fit
• Verde

For all the Enlightened Yogis

Breathe in. Breathe out. Close your eyes and feel the stress begin to dissipate as you begin your yoga flow. A practice that benefits both your mind and body, yoga is an ideal way to get intentional movement into your day. The best part? Yoga can be done by yourself in your house, in a group class at a local studio, in the morning before your day begins, at lunch for a quick break from work, or in the evening.

Start your day strong with an early morning flow class at a local studio, like Studio Fire, where you can spend an hour aligning your mind and body for the day ahead. Enjoy a Sunday morning at The Well, LLC with their popular Yoga & Mimosas class where you can relax and unwind with a deep stretch and a refreshing drink.

Take advantage of the beautiful spring weather in Columbia and take your yoga practice outside! Many studios offer outdoor classes when the temperatures are just right. Soak in the peace that surrounds you on the banks of the river at Columbia Canal and Riverfront Park or enjoy a sunrise yoga session on the State House Grounds as you watch the Main Street District wake up around you.

Studios to take classes

• Bikram Yoga
• Fit Columbia
• Good Company Yoga
• Studio Fire
• The Well, LLC

Outdoor flow spots

• Columbia Canal and Riverfront Park
• State House Grounds

For all the Outdoor Adventurers

With state parks and national parks, rivers and a lake, greenways and trails that traverse the state, Columbia is brimming with an outstanding selection of outdoor places to play and explore by land and water.

Drop your paddleboard or kayak in the river and paddle to your heart’s content. It’s easy to find a quiet cove on Lake Murray, or a peaceful passageway under the canopy of loblolly pines and cypress trees in Congaree National Park. Want to explore the water in a more leisurely way? Floating down the river in a tube is a popular activity in summer and provides a refreshingly cool way to beat the heat.

For the walkers, runners, and bikers, there are a variety of trails and greenways around town that are calling your name this spring as the days get warmer and the sun stays out longer. Get your long runs in as you prepare for the Governor’s Cup on the greenways. Take your bike out to Peak to hop on the Palmetto Trail where it crosses the Broad River. Take a long walk with your family through Sesqui State Park on a weekend afternoon.

The biggest question for you this spring: What natural outdoor resource will you take enjoy first?

Shop

• Halfmoon Outfitters
• Outspokin’ Bicycles
• Mast General Store
• REI
• River Runner Outdoor Center

Explore

• Broad, Congaree, & Saluda Rivers
• Congaree National Park
• Dreher Island
• Harbison State Forest
• Lake Murray
• Palmetto Trail
• Three Rivers Greenway
• Saluda Shoals Park
• Sesquicentennial State Park