Written by Brenna Gormally, Biology Ph.D. candidate

One of my favorite things about living in the greater Boston area is all the incredible opportunities there are to be active in the city. It’s no secret, but I’ve found that getting outside the lab can make me feel so much more productive—and happier! Here are some of the great spots I’ve found to play and be active in and around Boston!

Yoga Right on Campus!

One of the easiest ways to be active on campus is to sign up for the mini courses offered each semester. I love these 10-week classes that are taught by fantastic instructors and are reasonably priced. It’s so much more fun and motivating to work out in a group. It can also be really hard to find affordable group classes in Boston, so this is a lovely option to have right on campus!

Inner tube what?!

In college I played a lot of sports, including in intramural leagues. When I arrived in Boston I was delighted to find that there are a ton of adult sports leagues in and around the city. Most exciting to me was that there was an inner tube water polo league! I had played this crazy sport in college so I was stoked to find out that there was an adult league—I never realized that it even existed outside of Pomona College. Here’s how it works—basically, you just sit in an inner tube and play water polo in a pool (see photo evidence). It’s loads of fun and I’ve met some incredibly awesome people through this experience.

Beyond ITWP, Social Boston Sports, Boston Ski and Sports Club, and Clubwaka all offer a ton of other adult sports options. These are fantastic opportunities to meet other young people around the Boston area and be active while doing it!

Running around Boston

If you lived in Boston and didn’t run along the Charles, did you really live in Boston? Even though I was an athlete in college, I never really enjoyed the whole running side of the sport. I’ve slowly come around to running during my time in Boston, however, and right now I’m training for my first half marathon! Boston is an incredible city to train in and there are such amazing and enjoyable routes. My favorite place to run right near campus is around the Mystic Lakes, but you can’t beat the Charles River. It’s only a few extra miles to get to the river and totally worth the view and running paths that are a bit kinder on your ankles than the sidewalks of Somerville.

Hiking outside the city

Lastly, there are some great spots to hike right around Tufts. The Middlesex Fells are just a short ride from campus and you can find a bunch of great trails that are perfect for a short hike. You can travel a bit farther from Medford into New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine for some more difficult hikes. Some of my favorites are in the White Mountains—I recently did Mount Washington with a bunch of friends. The greater New England area is beautiful, particularly during the fall—be sure to get out and enjoy!