Exercise is meant for the outdoors. As a runner, I absolutely detest doing a workout on the treadmill or elliptical machine. But in this El Niño season, sometimes going indoors is the only option. After all, I can only take getting poured on so many times (it’s already happened several times in the last month).
When forced indoors, here are some great and fun workout options:
Find the nearest trampoline center
Trampoline centers/parks are booming in popularity—and with good reason. Not only is bouncing off a trampoline fun, but it’s a great workout. Jump continuously for just five minutes and you’ll know what I mean. Sure, most of the people who are jumping are under 20, but that should give the older folks—including yours truly—even more incentive to jump.
As with any exercise, use caution at first, especially if you haven’t done a plyometrics workout within the last couple of months. While jumping off a trampoline is easier on your joints as opposed to jumping off cement, it’s still a physical workout. Start slow and ease into the length and intensity of the jump sessions.
Go hard for four to five minutes, rest for equal time and repeat for a total of 30 minutes. Once your body starts getting acclimated to the workout, increase the duration or intensity—or both—and you’ll be feeling fitter in no time.
Sign up for a class at the gym
Whether it’s Zumba, Pilates, kickboxing, TRX suspension training, yoga or a kettlebell and spin class, there’s something for everyone. All of these classes are fun, burn calories and will hit up different parts of your body. Kettlebell classes are all the rage in the fitness industry—perform just one move, the kettlebell swing, continuously for 30 to 60 minutes interspersed with short rest periods, and you’ll know why.
Yoga and Pilates are a great way to relieve tension while improving balance, flexibility and range of motion. TRX training is another popular class that is rising in popularity. It’s a suspension system that provides a total body workout using your own bodyweight. Kickboxing is a fun and fast way to torch some calories and build some serious cardiovascular endurance. It’s also the perfect way to blow off steam after a tough day at work. Zumba is an aerobic fitness program that gets people moving and shaking their bodies to various styles of Latin and American dance music. Don’t worry if you have no rhythm; a good instructor will have you feeling comfortable from the get-go.
Find the nearest indoor rock-climbing facility
Don’t be intimidated to enter one of these centers—it just might be the best thing that could lead to a healthier you in 2016. Rock climbing requires delicate footwork, steely-eye focus and lower and upper body strength. Although rock climbing is not thought of as a great cardio workout, don’t be fooled.
Try climbing for just a couple of minutes, and it’ll get your heart racing. That’s because rock climbing forces you to do things your body is not accustomed to doing, including bending, flexing and maneuvering in a number of directions at different angles. Aside from the physical benefits, there seems to be an added mental component to the sport as well.
That’s because climbers use problem-solving skills when ascending to the top of a climb, and the straight route is not often the most direct route. It takes some serious focus and precision on deciding which pegs/holes to grab and where exactly to place your foot before shifting your body weight.
I’ve given you several indoor workout options to choose from, but there are tons of other choices as well, including basketball, swimming, racquetball, boxing, bodyweight exercises. Don’t let the wet weather dampen your exercise routine, or from starting a new one. The possibilities are endless—it’s up to you to make it happen.
