Anyone who lives in or has recently moved to Dublin can attest to finding it difficult to stay healthy all the time. There are delicious donut shops popping up on every corner, copious amounts of meat and potatoes consumed on a weekly basis, tons of cafes serving yummy pastries, and perhaps most impactfully on your waist line, beer!
But you can work out all that yumminess without shelling out €100 a month for a gym membership.
Take advantage of the city’s parks.
Dublin has plenty of green space for a relatively small city. Dublin’s Phoenix Park is Europe’s largest walled park within a capital city. It spans 1,750 acres of grassy fields, trees, running and cycling paths, and wild deer! Don’t forget about the abundance of waterways (rivers, canals, and the beaches along the Irish Sea) to run or jog along.
Opt to walk instead of driving.
Sure you will have to take Dublin Bus, the DART, or the Luas for further distances. But if the time it would take to walk is roughly the same as it would take on public transit (which is often the case during rush hour), why not leg it and burn some extra calories? As long as it’s not raining, of course!
Practice yoga.
There are many options for free (and cheap yoga) classes around the city. Some studios offer a discounted “community” class that often have further discounts for students or unwaged participants. During the warmer months, there are yoga sessions that pop up in Phoenix Park, Dartmouth Square, and St. Stephens Green. And if all else fails, find a yogi to follow on social media and copy their flow!
Go for a hike.
The mountains and seaside surrounding Dublin are filled with hiking trails in a range of ease and difficulty. There are some pretty epic views on popular spots of Howth Head, Bray to Greystones cliff walk, the hike up to Sugar Loaf, and Glendalough. There is nothing like the crisp Irish air to invigorate and energize you after a long week.
Sign up for Dublin Bikes.
This bike sharing program has been continuously growing in popularity since its inception in 2009. There are over 100 docking stations throughout the city and the system is very user-friendly. You can sign up for the whole year for just €20 and any journey less than 30 minutes is free!