Spring can be a difficult time to get back in shape. If you avoided exercise during the winter (hey, we’re not judging, it’s cold outside), you may be out of shape. To make matters worse, spring weather is famously unpredictable. Some springs feel like it’s still winter until it’s suddenly 80°F. Others are a comfortable 60°F from March to May, but essentially one long rainstorm.
With so much unpredictability, how can you possibly string together enough consistent exercise to get a head start on that summer beach body? If you’re a little creative, it’s not that hard!
Find a Weatherproof Exercise Option
The most straightforward way to build a consistent workout routine, despite the weather, is to find a weatherproof location to exercise. This way, rain or shine, you have a place to get yourself into shape. If you have the space or equipment, a stellar solution is to just workout at home. It’s free and couldn’t be closer. It’s as simple as reworking your basement or spare room into a fitness room or shifting your living room around and following along with some YouTube fitness channels on your television.
This way, rain or shine, you have a place to get yourself into shape.
Your other option is joining a gym or a fitness program. One advantage of a gym over your home is there’s simply more equipment available. It’s unlikely you’ll have the same equipment in your home or access to classes. Some gyms even have a swimming pool, which is excellent for exercise. If you’re concerned about the cost of such a membership, keep in mind that some Medicare insurance plans cover fitness programs with gym memberships. Regardless of which you go with, having a place to exercise in, away from the elements, removes a big variable from your potential workout.
The Yard Workout
With winter gone, you’ll finally start to see some green poking around in your yard. With a beautiful yard comes the hard work to keep it so. This doesn’t have to just be work, though. It can be a workout! Think about it. You’ll be pulling weeds, carrying branches or pulled weeds, walking — all everyday calorie burners. What’s normally considered a household chore can burn anywhere from 250 to 600 calories per hour.
With a beautiful yard comes the hard work to keep it so. This doesn’t have to just be work, though. It can be a workout!
Similarly, gardening is excellent exercise, especially for seniors. It’s fairly low impact but works all the major muscle groups. This makes it pretty effective for weight loss and calorie burning. Gardening is also great for your mental and emotional health. It reduces stress and can be therapeutic for a variety of issues. The benefit of yard work and gardening as exercises is they’re not once-and-done workouts. Your lawn and garden will continue to grow throughout the year. You’ll finish the job for one week, but it’ll be back for you the next.
Giving Spring Cleaning a Whole New Meaning
Spring is famously the time to clean. Wiping, washing, and dusting after a winter hibernation. There’s a lot to be done. Just like yardwork, this is your opportunity to do double duty as a workout too. Plus, like yard work, as long as you’re living in your house, you’ll have cleaning and housework each week. Don’t expect to push around the vacuum cleaner once a week for 30 minutes and drop 30 pounds. It’s all about the intensity that you put into the chores. Cutting corners defeats the point of cleaning and ruins the workout. Depending on the cleaning you’re doing, you can burn anywhere from 120 to 250 calories per hour. Just be careful to avoid any injuries while you’re spring cleaning!
Don’t expect to push around the vacuum cleaner once a week for 30 minutes and drop 30 pounds. It’s all about the intensity that you put into the chores.
Spring cleaning isn’t only about physically making your home cleaner, though. Use this time to rearrange or finish big housework. Is there a room that you’ve been wanting to repaint for a while? That’s roughly 334 to 400 calories burned per hour. How about that room that you don’t quite love the setup of? Try to create feng shui in your office and burn between 191 to 572 calories per hour while you’re at it. Spring is a great time to rethink and rearrange your house, and this can help you get a little workout in, too.
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Spring is a time of renewal, but it’s also a season of unpredictable weather. This is a chance to give your fitness a kickstart for the year ahead. Don’t let residual cold weather or spring storms get in the way of your health. Plan ahead and be creative, and you’ll find yourself fit in no time.
