It is that time of year again. No more driving home in the dark and when you exercise after work you can see the sidewalk. For those of you in the gym, the lights are always on but for the outdoor enthusiast, it is time to get …a rainy-day plan? For those new to living in Florida, we love the winter, spring and fall months because the temperatures are great for outdoor activities. (Humidity aside; you’ll adjust.) But in the summer is when you remember that we live in the sub-tropics and our rainy season begins. Most often it is fast-moving showers that last 15 minutes, dump water and move on. Then there was last year when it seemed to storm from the minute you left work until you woke up the next morning to drive back to work. Jogging in a quick rain is quite a bit different than running in a monsoon.
Do you have your alternate work out routine when summer showers turn into thunderstorms? When we fail to plan for emergencies, we plan to fail. The fastest way to derail your exercise goals is to not have a contingency plan. That may be a gym membership, gym space at your club or even an app on your phone that gives you alternatives that you can do at home when the weather doesn’t cooperate with your favorite swim or biking plan. Cardiovascular exercise, is great for strengthen your heart, using excess calories and for people with diabetes, helping your body use your own insulin and glucose more efficiently. However, resistance exercises can accomplish similar benefits on those days when it isn’t feasible to get outside. Resistance exercises can include things like planking, using resistance bands, low weight hand weights, or other items in your house that are usually less than 10 pounds. It also can be chair exercises that you find on You-Tube, Pilates, Tai Chi or Yoga.
Technology has given us many options that weren’t available before, if we choose to use it. Knowing your options and choosing an option ahead of time means your are more likely to use that option if needed. Just remind yourself how good you feel after a workout, and how long it takes you to get back into the routine once you stop. That ol’ inertia. It’s still working harder than we are.