As the genius Mr. Ferris Bueller once said, “life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it”. True, but on the other hand, if you don’t multi-task you probably won’t have time to fit everything in to that fast moving life of yours. That’s why I’m always looking for workouts that take me outside and to new places around LA. This way I can burn calories, get a tan and sightsee all before brunch. I prefer hiking or stairs over run because the vertical workout is more of a challenge.

Along with the rest of LA, I often find myself at Runyon Canyon on the weekends. This is a great workout and a perfect daytime activity to do with a friend. There are different trails so you can mix it up and vary the difficultly level without getting bored. Knowing that I like these this type of workout, friends have been telling me forever that I have to try the Santa Monica Stairs. Everyone says they’re an amazing workout- “I couldn’t walk for days!”. Eventually, I looked up some info on the stairs and when I saw that they even have a Facebook page, I decided to finally check them out. I made the drive from Weho to Santa Monica (a bit outside my daily bubble and only something I’m willing to do for special occasions). With all the hype I was expecting this monumental and daunting flight of stairs but I couldn’t have been more wrong. I assumed I was in the wrong place, but no- it’s literally just a flight of stairs outside (150 steps, I believe)! If you do them enough times you can get a really amazing workout from them, but it really was quite a letdown. If you need to mix things up and you have them time, I’d say try them out. But DO NOT go on the weekend- it’s insanely busy!

Hearing about my disappointment in the Santa Monica Stairs, a friend suggested the stairs at the Baldwin Hills Park in Culver City. Now, this is what I’m talking about- 287 steps of scenic perfection. This is definitely my outdoor stair workout of choice. 

Have you conquered all these climbs and consider yourself a stair master? Put your skill to work in the Stair Climb to the Top event to raise money for local YMCAs. On September 25th this climb will take place on the 1,500 stairs of the U.S. Bank Tower (the highest office building west of the Mississippi River). You can find all the details and register at http://www.ymcastairclimb.org 

Runyon Canyon is at Franklin and Fueller in Hollywood

The Santa Monica Stairs are at 4th Street and Adelaide Drive in Santa Monica

The Baldwin Hills Area Recreational Trails are at 5120 Goldleaf Circle in Culver City