Bad Weather Doesn’t Have to Keep You from Keeping Fit

Do your exercise plans get put on hold during cold or dreary months? Karen Kavanagh, director of Meridian Life Fitness and Rehabilitation, offers these tips to beat the bad-weather blahs and tone up for spring by bringing your workout indoors:

• Think of your home as a gym. You might consider investing in a treadmill, stationary bike, elliptical trainer, or other exercise machine. But you don't necessarily need expensive equipment to get a good aerobic workout at home. Try climbing stairs, jogging in place, or jumping rope.



• Walk briskly around an indoor mall.



• Swim laps or take water aerobics in an indoor pool.



• Be a "domestic athlete." Cleaning closets and washing windows or floors count as exercise and help you get a head start on your spring cleaning.



• Experiment with different exercise classes "from tai chi to spinning" at a local fitness center.

If you've been inactive for a while, start gradually and add a few minutes of physical activity each day. Eventually, try to get at least 30 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise on five or more days of the week. Karen also recommends stretching every day and lifting weights two to three times a week.