Water laps at a worn wooden dock, where you sit turning the pages of a dog-eared paperback. There’s a bouquet of sunscreen and charcoal commingling in the sweet summer air. The sun pokes out from behind a cloud and warms your skin as you lazily swish your feet in the cool, aquamarine water.
Work? Stress? Drama? Those words have lost their meaning. The hardest decision you’ll make today – should you sit and finish this chapter, or join the spikeball tournament back at the beach?
Is there anything more quintessentially summer than spending a day by the beach or the lake (and the pool for our landlocked friends)? No summer is complete without a couple of refreshing, fun-filled days of basking in sun, cool dips in the water, and laughter-filled games with friends and family.
Whether you’re a beach babe or a lady of the lake, we’re here to get you ready for a summer of easygoing splashing and snacking. Kick off the fun with nostalgic activities that lift you and snacks that won’t weigh you down. This list will help you enjoy the kind of carefree summer fun you had as a kid (just, you know, with wine this time).
The Activity: Freeze Tag
A classic playground favorite, Freeze Tag makes the perfect beach or lake activity; you don’t need any equipment for a match, and you can play it in any space, big or small.
To play Freeze Tag…
- Decide who’s “it.” (Draw straws, count off, have a not-so-democratic election…or whatever—you know your style.)
- The tagger runs around trying to touch everyone. Tagged people freeze in place.
- Untagged people derail the tagger’s effort by releasing frozen people with a single touch.
- The game is over when—or if—all the players are frozen
The Snack: Unisoy Teriyaki Vegan Jerky
Chasing (or escaping) works up quite an appetite. Call a universal ttime-outand munch on some Unisoy Teriyaki Vegan Jerky. This protein-packed (7 grams) snack is fast and easy to eat, so you can get back to your escalating game of Freeze Tag ASAP. The jerky provides a bold umami flavor that satisfies 90 calories. The plant-based protein will give you lots of energy for play, and it’s so light, you won’t even need to take a nap after eating it.
The Activity: Pick your favorite classic activity. (Or why not do them all?)
- Hula hoop
- Skip-It
- Tic-tac-toe (Just draw the grid on the sand.)
- Jump rope
All of these activities are perfect for spontaneous gameplay. You can just jump up and go without any preparation at all. Plus, each activity provides a surprisingly good workout, especially jumping rope on a sandy beach. We dare you to see how many hoops you can hula before you start craving a healthy snack.
The Snack: Popcorners Kettle Corn, Sea Salt, White Cheddar Popped Corn Snack
Popcorners opened our eyes to new thrills and experiences, and now we can never go back to the chips we used to eat. Popcorners are simply chips made of popped corn. They provide all the shapes and crunches you crave from potato and tortilla chips, but they come without grease, caloric loads, trans fats, artificial flavors, and preservatives.
The Activity: Tug-of-War
Grab a rope, grab your squad, and… you know the rest. Play tug-of-war on land, or move to the water for a fun twist. If you don’t have a traditional rope on hand, simply tie together your beach towels or t-shirts.
The Snack: Live Love Pop Honey BBQ Popcorn
You’re going to need a lot of strength to beat your friends aina competitive game of tug-of-war. Live Love Pop Honey BBQ Popcorn will do the trick. One cup of the seriously flavorful kernels has just 35 calories, but it also has tons of fiber to keep you full and focused for your match. The snack is made from whole grains, and it doesn’t have any GMOs. Plus, the popped-corn packs all the flavors of a poolside/lakeside barbeque. Make your tug-of-war even more intense by tugging for the grand prize—rights to the entire bag of Live Love Pop.
A mission-based brand, Live Love Pop was created out of the desire to create more than just a good-for-you snack. They launched the Selfless Snacking Campaign after the founder, Laura’s mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013 ,and with each various flavor, they donate back to a different charity. For every bag of Honey BBQ sold, a portion of the profit goes to Alzheimer’s Awareness.
The Activity: Mummy in the Middle
A landlubber’s version of the in-pool game Marco Polo, Mummy in the Middle will provide a lot of laughs and some classic photo ops. (Don’t start snapping pics until the designated “mummy” has closed its eyes.)
To play Mummy in the Middle…
- Designate a “mummy.” (With eyes closed, the mummy has to try to tag everyone in the circle you’ll draw in step two.)
- Make a circle in the dirt or sand. A small circle makes for a short, hilarious game. A large circle will make the fun last a little longer.
- With eyes closed, the mummy tries to tag the players, who are being as quiet as they can be.
- The game is over when the mummy has tagged everyone.
The Snack: Quest Chocolate Chip Cookie
Whether you’re the mummy or one of the players hiding from it, this game requires patience and serious, sustained energy, which you can get from a Quest Chocolate Chip Cookie. These cookies are soft and chewy and loaded with decadent chunks of chocolate and the nutrition to feed your cookie cravings with 15 grams of protein, 4 net carbs, and 9 grams of sugar.
And if the protein isn’t enough to keep you full, the bar also has 9 grams of sustaining fiber to last you through multiple challenging games of Mummy in the Middle.
