Nearly every morning after I watch the kids get on the bus, I go for a walk on the paths around my neighborhood. Depending on the weather (I walk rain or shine) and how much time I have before I need to start working, I either make a 2.5 mile or a 1.5 mile loop. These daily walks have allowed me to stay healthy without having to think about my workout, and they’ve provided me a much needed chance to start my day positively with music I love, fresh air, and that great feeling I get from making my body work.
But here’s the problem. It’s cold.
I have walked in the kind of rain that is coming down so hard and blowing so violently that even an umbrella doesn’t help, and all summer long I walked with lightning and thunder crashing around me. Heck, I even walked as a hurricane roared into my town. But this morning when I sat down at my computer, ready to grab my phone and ear buds for my walk, it said it was 21 degrees. Fahrenheit.
I bundled up the kids and shivered with them at the bus stop, then I promptly headed back to the house to begin my work, promising myself that I would walk around lunch time when it was much warmer.
It’s lunch time. This is not much warmer:
So here’s what I need to know. What do you do to exercise on days when it just too cold to get out there? I’ve got an elliptical, but it’s not the same as walking. Quite frankly, I hate the thing. I’d love to hear your best cold weather exercise ideas!