Your Rainy Day Workout Plan

If you’re the kind of person who prefers to exercise outdoors, then you probably feel like spring showers are wreaking havoc on your fitness routine. But a rainy day workout doesn’t have to limit you the treadmill. We spoke to fitness experts who offered their most fun and effective rainy day ideas.

Do 100 Jumping Jacks
There’s a reason your gym teacher made you do so many jumping jacks! Good, old-fashioned jumping jacks are an excellent cardio exercise. And they can easily be done in your living room with no equipment.

“To step it up and really work your leg muscles, do squat jacks,” suggests fitness instructor Jim White, owner of Jim White Fitness & Nutrition Studios, with three Virginia locations. “First, squat down and perform jumping jacks in the lowered squat position. After around 30 your thighs will be burning!”

3 Exercises for People who Hate Exercise

Read More

Try “APPLE”
Personal trainer Darren Garland, owner of Emerge Fitness in Mount Laurel, N.J., says that he likes to use the acronym APPLE—which stands for Abs, Push, Pull, Locomotion, and Elevation—for a calorie-busting 20-minute circuit workout on a rainy day.

“Pick an ‘A’ like planks and perform them for 30 seconds, then rest for 30 seconds before moving on to push-ups, modified as necessary,” Garland says. “Your pull could be lifting a gallon of milk for 30 seconds. Your ‘L’ could be running in place or doing jumping jacks. And elevation movements could be squats or lunges. Do each letter for 30 seconds followed by a 30-second rest period and repeat the circuit four times. In the end it’s only 20 minutes but it’s a great fat burning workout.”

How to Stretch… The Right Way

Read More

Fit It In
Skipping exercise in lieu of another activity is a common excuse—and that’s easy to do on a rainy day. But what if you could multi-task—accomplishing chores around the house or catching your favorite show all while also fitting in some exercise! Manhattan personal trainer Marjorie Nolan Cohn, MS, RDN, CEDRD, CSSD, ACSM-HFS, likes to find ways to fit exercise into her other activities for some serious multi-tasking.

“I clean my apartment wearing a weighted vest and/or ankle weights when I don’t feel like I have time to do everything,” Nolan Cohn says. “I will also do squats, lunges, or crunches during commercial breaks. It feels like less working out—and easier to do—when it’s for a limited amount of time.”

10 Reasons to Go For a Walk Today

Read More

Kitchen Counter Barre
Don’t feel like braving the weather for your favorite barre class? Suzanne Olson, co-owner of Purenergy Studio in Paoli, PA, says there are unlimited ways to exercise using your kitchen counter for support.

“For a kitchen counter fold over, stand facing your kitchen counter, hinge at the hips, keeping your back in neutral alignment and your forearms parallel on the counter,” Olson explains. “Extend one leg, lift and lower to hip level while hips are facing the floor. Do these 12 times per leg, all the while keeping the core engaged and making sure your back remains stationary. Work up to three sets per leg for an excellent at-home leg work-out.”