Written by Joe Suppes

Most people think of summer and they see blue skies, hot temperatures, and the outdoors.  Well, an often-forgotten part of summer in many areas would be summer storms.  Here in Illinois, storms are more than a little common.  We’ve had more days of rain in the last few weeks than of sun!  So what do you do when rainy weather puts your plans for exercise on hold?

Indoor Activities

It isn’t necessarily easy to get a treadmill, but there are plenty of things you can do inside to keep yourself moving.  Even doing light aerobic exercise in an open area can be of benefit to you.  More and more options are opening up for this field.  If you don’t think you could keep yourself focused enough to simply work out on your own, try out some workout DVD’s.  There’s a huge variety, with choices for people at all levels of fitness and difficulty.  Another fun choice could be the look into Wii Fit.  This is a pretty hefty investment, so if you plan on trying this, be sure you’re committed to it.

Day-to-Day Tasks

You don’t always have to be “working out” to get good exercise.  Have you ever deep-cleaned a room before?  Really.  The sort of deep-cleaning that makes you break a sweat.  That sort of activity could actually constitute as exercise of a sort.  I’ve found myself pretty worn out after cleaning on several occasions.  If it gets you moving, elevates your heart rate, and keeps you going for over 30 minutes, it’s a good workout!

On Location

Still not sure you can fit in your normal amount of activity?  There are places you can go to get that in.  Most malls have plenty of room for walking.  I’ve resorted to that on more than one occasion.  There have been plenty of times when I felt the drive to go for a walk, but it was too cold or too hot out.  Malls are convenient because of climate control.  There’s also ready access to restrooms, which isn’t always the case if you go for long walks outdoors.  If you’d like consistent access to equipment, climate-controlled settings, and professional advice, gyms and fitness clubs are a great option.

Working out in bad weather isn’t fun.  It never is.  It drains your motivation and sometimes makes it altogether impossible to get active.  Often, weather conditions make it too dangerous.  At times like this, you need a back-up plan.  Slipping up more than a day or two can lead to a break in good habits, and no one wants that.  So, next time the summer storms set in and it’s best to stay inside, have a plan.

Read More Articles:

Debunking Fad Diets