Exercise Tips and Ideas for a Rainy Day

Every type of exercise you want, from cardio to conditioning, can be done in the comfort of your own home. On those days when weather precludes you from being outside, you can be just as effective, if not more so, inside. Now while it wouldn't hurt to have a TV and DVD/VCR setup so that you can watch exercise videos, there are still plenty of exercises you can do for free as well. I will first go over ten free exercises, then I will detail eight exercise video instructors you might be interested in, then I will describe five kinds of exercise equipment perfect for indoor training, and finally, I will list some safety tips to maximize your exercise effectiveness without getting hurt.

Ten Free Exercises That Don't Require Videos or Equipment

1. Tricep Dips
Using a hearth, a chair, a bench, or a bed for support, put your hands facing forward on the edge and assume a stance with your knees bent at a 90 degree angle. From the side, it should look like you are sitting on a chair with your hands behind you, facing towards the front. Slowly lower your body, keeping your back straight, and just as slowly raise yourself back up. You should feel the burn in your triceps.

2. Abdominal crunches
The crunch is sometimes a little tricky, but if you do it right you will know when it's working. If you have a mat, it might help to lie down on it instead of just the floor. When you lie down, keep your feet and knees together and pull your legs in so that your bottom legs are vertical. You can put your hands on your chest or behind your head, whichever feels more comfortable, but don't lace your fingers behind your head. Take a breath and then pull your upper body upward towards your knees, starting with the head, then the neck, and finally the chest. A good gauge of how it should feel is to notice the subtle curvature of your lower back. When you lift your chest upward, you should feel the small of your back pressing against the floor. Once you've done that, hold yourself there for a count of one, and then lower yourself back to the floor with a controlled movement. A few dozen reps of this should be enough to feel a burn in your stomach muscles.

3. Alternate Abdominal Crunches
Once you are good at regular crunches, try working your oblique abdominal muscles with the side crunch. You do the exact same thing as before, only this time you point one of your elbows towards the opposite knee and concentrate on lifting from the muscles in your side instead of the stomach. These are a little harder, but are important to ensure that the abdominal muscles look proportional.

4. Push-ups
The push-up is a simple exercise that will work your chest and upper arms. To do a full, proper push-up, you should lie down flat on your stomach. You will want to be on your toes to support your lower half, and your hands should be flat on the floor next to your chest, with your arms roughly even with your shoulders, but out slightly. While keeping your back straight (important), slowly push against the floor and raise yourself up. The point is to focus on the muscles in your chest and upper arms, so you can't be moving anywhere else--plus, you don't want to strain your back. Your head should stay parallel to the floor as well. For a challenge, try holding for several seconds while you are "pushed up," and then releasing and going back down slowly.

5. Alternative Push-ups
There are popular variations on a standard push-up: triangle push-ups and one-handed push-ups. I would not suggest attempting one of these unless you are proficient with regular push-ups, and don't be surprised if you can't do very many, if any. For a triangle push-up, you put your hands under your chest with the thumb and forefinger on each hand touching the other to form a triangle, with the rest of each hand flat against the floor. While they are under you, lower yourself until your chest is almost touching, and then push back up. You'll find it is much harder than a standard push-up. One-handed push-ups are even more challenging and require a great deal of upper body strength. Keep one hand behind your back and keep the other close to the middle of your body so you can stay balanced. Lower yourself down with only one arm, then raise yourself back up.

6. Jogging in Place
Although perhaps not the most glamorous, jogging in place can be an excellent way to get the blood pumping and the heart rate up. It isn't as hard on the joints like extended runs on concrete outside, and it is easy to do while watching TV or listening to music. Like most aerobic exercise, you should warm up slowly so you don't hurt yourself, then do a moderate rate for an extended period like 20-30 minutes, and then cool down. Doing this exercise at least 2-3 times per week should make you noticeably fitter.

7. Running Up and Down Stairs
If you have a home with more than one story, you can use the stairs as an excellent way to quickly get your heart rate up. This tends to work you much harder than when you're staying on one level, so don't overdo it! Also, make sure to watch where you're going--you don't want to take someone out on the stairs.

8. Wall Sits
This one will hurt a lot so be prepared. Stand with your back flat against the wall and slide down until your legs are at a 90 degree angle, as if you are sitting on an invisible chair. Contract your lower body muscles, specifically your abs and your glutes. You'll especially feel the burn in your quads. Attempt it for as long as you can, take a short break, and then do it again. Alternate until you are exhausted. If you want to make it even harder, put a ball between your knees or hold weights in your hands.

9. Calf raises
Stand on the edge of a stair step or a stool, and preferably do so next to a wall or counter to help with stability. To begin, scoot your feet until they are mostly off the step and then raise your body up onto your tiptoes. Hold for a count of one and then lower yourself back to flat feet. Be sure to concentrate on your calf muscle. If you aren't used to working your calves, this one will hurt pretty quickly. It's also the secret to sexier legs!

10. Relaxation Pose
Don't worry, this counts as exercise too. It's a breathing exercise. If you've worked out hard, you deserve a break to cool down. Lie down, preferably on a blanket, with a folded blanket or pillow under your head. Put your hands on your stomach and concentrate on filling up your lungs. You should pay special attention to the rise and fall of your abdomen and the feeling of complete relaxation. Often, it helps to consciously focus on each part of your body and relax it, starting with the toes and moving up. If you want the best effect and you don't have a Yoga tape, just put on some soft music. I happen to like Coldplay, but you may choose whoever fits the bill. I'm not here to judge your musical proclivities.

Exercise Videos and Instructors
Of course, it can be a better workout if you have a little instruction. There are exercise videos you can follow if you are willing to shell out a little cash. From Yoga to Pilates to Tae Bo, there is plenty to choose from. Here I offer types of exercise that cover a good spectrum:

1. Yoga with Rodney Yee
2. Yoga with Patricia Walden
3. Power Yoga with Bryan Kest
4. Tae Bo with Billy Blanks
5. Pilates with Denise Austin
6. Strength/Toning with Kathy Smith
7. Anything with Richards Simmons (couldn't forget him!)
8. Cardio with Leslie Sansone

Obviously these are prolific exercise instructors with many videos, so I encourage you to check out what exercises they offer in more detail. Just search for any of them to find out more.

Now the question remains, why would you want to exercise when it's raining outside? It's true that gloomy weather can put a real damper on your motivation to keep up regular exercise. However, you can look at it entirely differently. The light patter of water on your porch and against your window panes can actually be pleasant ambience as you exercise inside.

Also, the outside is more suited to cardio. From runs, to biking, to most sports, the extent of your experience outside is often limited to fast movement. Inside, on the other hand, doesn't suffer from the same limitation. It is possible to run, to stretch, to lift, to relax, to jump, and anything else you can think of inside.

Most important, though, is you maintaining a commitment to yourself. Regardless of your specific reason for exercising--be it for weight loss, conditioning, strength, or just for fun--you should make sure to keep promises you've made to yourself, because that builds confidence and character. Rain or shine, if you are planning to exercise, do it. You can always do different exercises outside another time.

There are a few pieces of exercise equipment you can have inside that just aren't available or feasible outside. These are reason alone to consider staying inside for your exercise.

Exercise Equipment For Inside Exercises

1. The Bowflex Machine
No, they didn't sponsor my article, and I'm not getting paid for plugging it here. Hey, wait a minute... In all seriousness, if you have used or seen one of these, you realize just how fully-featured it is for strength training inside. It will give you a workout in every muscle group.

2. The Inside Mini-Trampoline (a.k.a. the Rebounder)
Trampolines offer an excellent workout and are less stressful on your joints than running because the bounce absorbs the energy better. When you need it you can place it anywhere, because it's relatively light, and when you are done and want to store it out of the way, it can lean against the wall inside to free up space. Some can even be folded, freeing up more space.

3. Treadmill
A glorified means of jogging in place, this is a perfect piece of inside equipment for the basement or exercise room. It is a great way of tracking your progress because of its speed settings. Best of all, you can exercise on it for a long time and not get bored because you can watch the TV or listen to music, so it's easier to convince yourself to do your workout. And if you like to run, but it's raining outside, using a treadmill inside is definitely closer to actually running than jogging in place is.

4. Exercise Bike
Just like the treadmill replaces outdoor running, the exercise bike replaces outdoor biking. The advantages of this include being able to bike when the weather is bad (inside), never having to worry about tire pressure, and using some of the cool functions that you wouldn't get on an outdoor bike. A good exercise bike will tell you the number of calories burned, the time elapsed, the distance you've traveled (while remaining stationary), and it sometimes offers settings that help to emphasize endurance or strength.

5. Dumbbell Rack
For the strength trainer in you, there's really nothing that can replace a solid array of dumbbells. The number of exercises you can do with dumbbells is substantial, and these exercises will work every muscle group (e.g. squats, lunges, bicep curls, dumbbell flies, tricep extensions, etc.). Of the free exercises I listed at the beginning of this article, many can be made more effective while holding free weights. The sheer versatility of dumbbells makes them a good value.

Safety Tips
Before you go, you should read these safety tips:

Exercise can do more harm than good if you aren't careful. This means getting good, sturdy inside shoes just for exercise so you don't wear them out. It also means making sure you know how to do the exercise before you attempt it, so you can use proper form. If you are using weights, it is a good idea to have a spotter or someone nearby who can help you if you need it, and you should always lift from your legs, not your back. Mostly, though, just use common sense and know your own strength limits. Stay plenty hydrated, breathe, and stop when you have had enough.

If you are doing cardio inside, keep a water bottle and some granola bars or fruit handy to replenish carbohydrates. It is safer to do longer, more moderate aerobic workouts than a few minutes of super-hard running. If you are doing strength training, you should be sure to eat protein and get enough sleep to help your muscles recover. You should also stagger exercising your muscle groups: do upper body one day, lower body the next, and then return to upper body. This will give your muscles a chance to rebuild.

I hope this guide has helped. There are plenty of options for inside workouts, and the best thing about them is, you can exercise inside no matter what the weather is. I am planning another article about creative exercises you can do in non-conventional places, so watch for it. Now, what are you doing just sitting around? You should go exercise!