Southampton - Like a phoenix rising from the ashes The Hamptons are reborn every summer as the sun reasserts itself, the beaches open for business and social calendars kick into high gear. For many natives of the East End, and for many more drawn here by its beauty and peace, the true adventure, excitement and enjoyment of The Hamptons appears as the natural beauty of the area offers itself to those with an adventurous spirit.

For locals from Westhampton to Montauk, and increasingly for sporting summer visitors, activities such as trail biking, kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding, surfing, tennis, and trail running keep the Hamptons daytime calendar as full as the weekend dance card. These activities also offer a more relaxed and laid-back reprieve from the primary summertime white-knuckle extreme sports, driving and shopping.

These wooded areas are beautiful any day of the year. With a variety of natural spaces available across the East End, some routes are great for biking where many miles can be covered.

Throughout the summer, the vehicles seen dotting the shoulders of bucolic back roads don't necessarily belong to realtors or houseguests, but more likely bikers and hikers. These wooded areas are beautiful any day of the year, and the summer environment offers its own special gifts. With the summer canopy in full effect, the cool shaded woods are a welcome respite from the hot summer sun. Kettle hole ponds, glacial ravines and cedar and evergreen groves otherwise hidden from view, now become part of The Hamptons landscape.

Trail biking offers many benefits including a great workout and that all too elusive adrenaline rush. The up and down of most trails, as well as the varied firm and sandy terrain, provide a great interval workout, oscillating between exhilarating down-hills, hard fought inclines, winding slaloms around pin oaks and high speed straight-aways. This varied rate of exertion allows for increases in cardiovascular power and endurance, pushing you to higher levels of fitness and moving you further from the summertime hustle and bustle. The upper body also stays active, taking different positions, leaning this way and that, pulling on the bars for power and adding a bunny hop here and there.

With a variety of natural spaces available across the East End, some routes are great for biking where many miles can be covered, while others are shorter and more nuanced, perfect for running or hiking. The peaks and valleys that fly by on the bike become challenging for the run, but the time always passes faster than on the treadmill. Running on trails also conditions the lateral supporting structures of the lower body in ways that can't be replicated indoors and your running pattern can be adjusted for different terrain. Zig-zagging up hills or bounding around roots and rocks add to the fun and keep interest high.

With hundreds of miles of trails preserved it can help to know where to start. Two very popular trail riding and hiking areas are the northwest section of the Paumanok Path, north of Rt. 114 in Sag Harbor and Hither Hills Woods on the north side of Montauk Highway in Montauk. The Montauk trails system is second to none and for reliable and helpful information Mike Bottini's, "Trail Guide to the South Fork" comes highly recommended for bikers, walkers and joggers.

If the adrenaline rush of dodging oak trees doesn't appeal to you, perhaps the hard earned sweat and fast paced action of a tennis match will hit the spot. Although a certain amount of skill is required to get a good workout from tennis, the benefits are many. Finding an appropriate partner who likes to move at your pace is key to having a fun and fulfilling tennis season. If you like to run and keep moving with competitive games and hard fought points, opponents with limited mobility or a lack of competitive spirit may not be a great fit. On the other hand a more seasoned player with superior shot making ability will keep you on the go even if they get to lay back and watch you sweat. The angular movements and stop and go action can be great for all around leg strengthening including knee and ankle support structures. This can have the added benefit of keeping you injury free on your trail runs. A challenging game also improves eye-hand coordination and keeps reflexes sharp.

Finding an appropriate partner who likes to move at your pace is key to having a fun and fulfilling tennis season.

The Hamptons has always been known for world-class waterways. From the ocean to the bays, inlets, ponds and puddles there is every manner of water sport available for the active adventurous spirit. Surfing is at the top of every list and is a great workout but The Hamptons can be fickle terrain for waves. The best rides are often found in the fall and winter storm seasons, but don't despair, you don't need waves to have fun in the water.

Kayaking has exploded across the East End in recent years. Every other Range Rover or Volvo you see has a pricey roof rack capable of carting out kayaks and canoes. Luckily for you, most of those racks never get used. Getting there is one thing, but once you're out on the bays and inlets you can be assured there won't be any traffic jams on the water. Along with a decent upper body workout and some fresh air, a little peace and serenity are great benefits to add to the list.

An exciting addition to the surfing, kite boarding and kayaking scene is stand up paddle boarding, a relatively new sport rocking the water-loving world. Migrating east from Hawaii and the West Coast, paddle boarding is sweeping The Hamptons largely due to a favorable natural environment and a strong water culture.

Paddle boards are like surfboards on steroids; usually 10 to 13-feet tall and 28 to 31-inches wide at the padded center. The bigger boards are more stable and better suited for distance paddling while the smaller variety morph into hybrid models offering more maneuverability in waves.

Paddle boarding is guaranteed to put a smile on your face but it's also one of the best workouts available on planet Earth. The paddling motion ties in the entire upper body with the abdominal and core region and draws its power from the legs. Variation can be had by, altering foot positions, taking different height stances and using the wind for extra resistance like a runner might use hills.

Time spent in the gym making yourself a better athlete and investing in your health and well-being is time well spent; one of the many benefits of being fit is that your body is capable of a more active lifestyle. If you spend the whole winter in the gym and never venture out to cash in some of your investment, you've really missed out. A good goal of any fitness program is to give you the energy and ability to have an active life. Strength, stamina, flexibility, mobility, these things are great, but what are you going to do with them, go shopping?