Now that spring has finally arrived, it feels like summer is just around the corner. This will be our first real summer using the beach house—last year we were still tiling all three bathrooms right up through Labor Day—so our plan is to spend as much time there as possible: to chip away at the remaining projects and, more importantly, to actually enjoy the beach.
In the flurry of getting the house ready for summer, we realized we’d been overlooking something important: preparing ourselves.
All the fast food from road trips and the countless skipped workouts—either because we were out of town or simply worn out from projects—have caught up with us. With Memorial Day just weeks away, we’ve decided it’s time to get back on track and commit to feeling fitter and more energetic for the season. We invited our readers to join us in what we called “Beach House Body,” a short, practical workout series aimed at regular people, not athletes or models.
We’re not fitness professionals, and that’s kind of the point. It’s more relatable to watch everyday folks stumble through a new move than to look at picture-perfect athletes. The series was designed to be approachable: short, doable routines released each Saturday as we headed into summer. The workouts were meant to be beginner-friendly, practical, and yes—fun for normal people trying to balance life, home projects, and family time.
We put together a short preview to get everyone excited. If you were following along at the time, you could watch the clip for a quick introduction to the series. Even without the full video in this post, the idea was simple: practical workouts that fit into a busy life.
Note: if you’re viewing this post in a reader, you might have needed to click through to see the preview video on the site.
To give a sense of what we planned to cover, the series would begin with basic gym-style moves—strength training, core work, and simple progressions that anyone can try. These are the kinds of exercises that build a solid foundation and translate into real-life strength.
We also intended to mix in lower-intensity sessions like gentle yoga for mobility and recovery, followed by higher-energy aerobic routines to boost endurance. One favorite move—demonstrated in the preview—was a dynamic sequence that strengthens shoulders and upper back, the muscles that often take a beating during home projects like painting.
To keep things interesting, we took inspiration from DIY life and adapted household items into workout tools. Who needs a kettlebell when a full paint can makes a perfectly fine weight? We emphasized safe, creative substitutions so that people without a lot of gear could still get a solid workout.
Many of our improvised “weights” came from the garage. Using familiar items—tool bags, boxes of supplies, and cans of paint—made the routines feel relevant to the tasks we actually do around the house. A walking lunge with a tool bag or a box of tile supplies turned a common movement into a productive, whole-body exercise.
The plan for the series was to present a complete, balanced set of workouts—strength, mobility, and cardio—so you could follow along week to week. We encouraged viewers to stick with the full sequence and to revisit the videos whenever they had time. By the end, the routines got progressively more creative and a little bit silly, which kept things light-hearted and motivating.
And then, for a final twist…
… APRIL FOOLS!
If you suspected a prank when we mentioned Sherry working out—you’re not alone. She famously favors “accidental exercise” over formal routines—so some readers immediately saw through it. While we do need to eat better and move more, we won’t be turning our blog into a fitness journey. That said, if you enjoy a bit of April Fool’s fun, we’ve pulled together a list of past pranks from over the years for a good laugh.
- 2017 – The launch of our novelty sock line
- 2016 – An app for swapping out decor items
- 2015 – Siri for home decorating
- 2014 – A household crafting challenge (or is it?)
- 2013 – “Hush” – our debut music video (still a favorite)
- 2012 – A totally reasonable toilet purchase
- 2011 – Burger’s very own playroom
- 2010 – A super classy curb appeal upgrade
- 2009 – The purrfect light fixtures
Wishing everyone a fun April Fools’ Day and a joyful Easter. Whether you’re tackling home projects, heading to the beach, or simply enjoying some downtime, here’s to a season full of progress, laughter, and a little bit of lighthearted mischief.