BY CATHY PAYNE

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Libby Irwin, front, 39, of Grosse Pointe Woods, Judy Brennan, 44, of Grosse Pointe Park, Jill Sonnenberg, 29, of Southfield and Lisa Gage, 50, of Grosse Pointe lift their boat out of a lower east side Detroit canal after a recent early morning workout. (J. KYLE KEENER)

To learn more

Camp Cavell: www.campcavell.org     Detroit Women's Rowing Association: www.dwra.org     Michigan Mountain Biking Association: www.mmba.org cq-cpayne

May 21, 2006

The sun is chasing away the clouds and our excuses for not exercising outdoors.

From rowing to technical tree climbing, there is an outdoor activity for everyone to dive into or grab onto.

Rowing is an activity that provides a cardiovascular workout as well as strengthens and tones muscles. It also offers opportunities for camaraderie and relaxation.

Lisa Gage, 50, of Grosse Pointe says she rows every chance she gets. "I get a peaceful feeling, and it clears my mind of everything.

"This is my fitness, my competition, my socializing with other women," she says. Lisa rows with the Detroit Women's Rowing Association, which has a schedule of summer rowing camps.

Rowing offers other benefits for women, says Renee Schulte, president of the Detroit Women's Rowing Association. "You like to look nice, too," says the 52-year-old of Grosse Pointe. "No flesh flags."

If you prefer trails to tides, you may want to hop on a mountain bike. It provides cardiovascular exercise as well as improves physical strength and hand-eye coordination.

It also clears the mind and provides opportunities for socializing, says Cris Cataldo, 35, of Brighton, who is a board member of the Michigan Mountain Biking Association. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Becoming an Outdoors-Woman Program and Michigan Mountain Biking Association are presenting the Women's Mountain Biking Symposium June 24.

If you'd rather be in the sky than on the ground, technical tree climbing may be the activity to boost your heart rate and spirits.

Technical tree climbing allows individuals to soar as high as 35 feet in the air with harnesses, ropes and other equipment.

The adventure uses the arms, back, legs and shoulders, says Jill Laidlaw, camp director of YWCA Camp Cavell, which is on the Lake Huron shoreline. The camp is offering a technical tree climbing weekend set for June 2-4.

"If you are out of shape, you can take it easy as you go," Jill says. "If you are in shape and you want a workout, then you can really push it up to the top, come down and do it again."

The workout propels women to new heights in other ways. "It's a challenge that ... stretches them to reach a goal maybe higher than they thought of," she says.

Cathy is a Twist copy editor. You can talk to her at 313.223.4770 or cpayne@freepress.com.