Cooler Temps & Camp Movie Night!

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Today on the Camp Balcones Springs blog, we will be overviewing our Women’s Fitness program, as well as Thursday’s activities at camp, including a special breakfast, an ice cream surprise, and Movie Night!

Here at Camp Balcones Springs, we are proud to be one of the only girls summer camps near Austin, Texas, that offers a Women’s Fitness activity program. This curriculum consists of five separate activities spread over the course of camp, designed to help introduce girl campers to a variety of exercise forms accessible to all skill levels and abilities. The first activity is an energy-filled salsa and rumba Zumba class taught by a local Zumba instructor. Girl campers learn the basic steps of both dance styles and practice choreographed routines to break a sweat. In class two, campers complete a circuit training class with five separate rotations – medicine ball core strength twists, lunges, jump roping, push-ups, and arm lifts. In class three ,campers take a 3-mile-round trip hike to camp’s scenic overlook, located at the rear of our property on the land that abuts local destination Lake Travis. Campers enjoy icey fruit cups at the midway point of their hike as they take in the scenery of the overlook. The fourth class is a relaxation yoga class taught by Jess Benton. Campers focus on core strength, breathing, stretching, flexibility, and meditative rest. Finally, campers finish the course with a weightlifting class in our air-conditioned fitness center, learning about different muscle groups and how to navigate weight machines for their particular shape and size as women. With our Women’s Fitness course, we aim to introduce different types of fitness activities to campers in hopes of showing them there are many ways to work out and stay active – whether it’s traditional exercises like gym classes and weightlifting, or things we may not always think of as fitness per sae - like walking or dancing – and that any of these can be used to develop lifelong fitness habits that best suit our preferences, interests, and abilities.

Thursday started off with one of our most favorite camp breakfasts – the Camp Balcones Springs bagel bar! Boys and girls enjoyed toasted bagels with a fixin’s bar of fresh smoked salmon, capers, chopped up eggs, onion, and cucumbers in a build-your-own bagel line. For those more interested in sweet bagels rather than savory, we offered whipped strawberry cream cheese. We also offered avocado toast and guacamole spread!

Later in the day, boy campers were playing Gaga ball under our shady oak tree when they were surprised by the Camp Balcones Springs Gaga surprise fairy! Every so often when boys and girls are playing Gaga ball, alucky group of kids will be visited by our “secret” camp fairy who comes bearing a delicious snack – this time, ice cream sundaes! The cool treat was a welcome afternoon respite in the summer heat.

A bit of rain brought cool weather to camp in the evening, with temperatures in the seventies. The climate was perfect for the evening activity – Movie Night! Boys and girls gathered on sleeping bags, blankets, and bean bag chairs to watch camp-favorite, National Treasure. Popcorn, nachos, sodas, and movie theater candy completed the night!