Don’t start grabbing for the comfort food on a rainy day until after you have had a chance to do your workout. Many people look a bad weather as an excuse to stay inside and grab some treats and plop themselves down to watch a movie, but a better decision is to put that off for an hour or so and exercise first. If you plan correctly, you can weather-proof your exercise routine by having a few small, inexpensive pieces of equipment in the closet and by learning a few exercises to do right on the living room floor.
Hang a jump rope in the closet. A jump rope is a great piece of equipment to help get you going and an equally great way to switch up your cardiovascular routine. So many of us get caught in the routine of going on the treadmill or the elliptical machine. This is a great alternative, even once in a while. Just put on your favorite music or television program and start jumping. Make sure you make plenty of room for the rope to swing freely. Try some different tempos throughout your routine. You can go fast or slow, jump on one leg or two, or even follow the tempo of the music.
Work your upper body without any equipment at all with pushups. Use that same open space you created for jumping rope and get down on the floor. In one movement, you can work your chest, shoulders, and arms. Even a little back and abdominals with the proper form can get in on the action. If you want to switch it up a bit, you can change your hand placement for slow grip or wide grip pushups. You may also want to try incline pushups, by placing your hands on a steady piece of furniture or by purchasing a set of pushup bars.
An old towel is serviceable, but if you want to invest in a mat, the extra padding will provide comfort on a hardwood floor while stretching. Sitting on the floor, bring the soles of your feet together and move them away from your body, keeping the sole touching each other. Place your hands on your knees and gently push the knees towards the floor and with a straight back lean into the stretch. As you hold the position, breath in and release, breathe out. Hold and repeat 5 times, you will feel the stretch on the inner thighs. Standing with your feet apart in line with your shoulders, hands on your hips and with a straight back begin to lean forward slowly. Breathe in as you bend with a straight back, hold the bent position and exhale as you slowly return to an upright position. Repeat 5 times, you will feel the stretch on your core and back leg muscles. This one piece of equipment may even provide the incentive to learn a few yoga or pilates movements.
Poor weather is no reason to miss a workout. The exercise will even improve the mood of the day for you. If you aren’t sure how to put together a home workout program, work with a Bronx personal trainer for a few sessions to learn proper exercise form and some basic stretching. A personal trainer Bronx may even teach you some other movements and exercises that you can do without equipment. You’ll enjoy your movie day that much more after your workout.
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