How can I get cardio exercise when it's raining outside?

You could run on the spot, do jumping jacks, pretend you are skipping with the arm movements, pretend you are kickboxing, play air guitar with the dancing, or just do the dancing.

jog in place

Sex, if available.

Treadmill?

I play keep away with my dogs and one of their chew toys.

I bought a treadmill for that, plus I can’t run outside around here… no sidewalks! Heh!

Are there stairs in your house? Run up and down those.

workout dvds or fit tv… it’s more fun than running in place and you really do get a workout

Clean the house.

Cable TV usually has a channel with aerobics, zumba, etc.

Jump rope.

Put on some music and dance.

Just run in the rain. It’ll help cool you off as your heart rate raises. Plus your clothes soaking up water will add weight and help in strengthening your legs, therefore, improving your running time in the future.

No, don’t run in the rain, especially if it is storming. More likely you could slip and injure yoursef, or God forbid get hit by lightening.

Put a basket of wet laundry under one arm and a toddler under the other. Then walk around your house.

Agree with @JLeslie

Rope skipping will kick your cardio butt. It’s great exercise.

I forgot to mention it’s pretty late so I can’t make a lot of noise or I’ll anger the neighbors. Are there any workouts that I could do fairly statically with just my body (other than jumping jacks)?

@aprilsimnel I really wish I could run up and down the stairs, but my stairs are loud and I’ll wake up everyone in the house.

@kevbo I wish I had a jump rope lol. Well, now I have something I need to buy. Anyway I could improvise, or anyone know any good “jump rope” substitutes?

Oh… do squat thrusts in sets with a minute between sets. If you are good, throw in a push up on the bottom end and a jump on the top end. Do 10 then 9 then 8 etc. Let us know how far you get.

Jumping Jacks.

Do you have an ipod so you can play music, but not wake anyone?

Have you ever taken an aerobics class? The trick to make the time pass quickly is to do exercises, and repeat them facing all four directions/walls.

@kevbo Hmm, that sounds like a perfect idea. I haven’t really done strength yet this week so some push ups will benefit me as well.

@JLeslie I’ll probably combine your idea with @kevbo‘s lol. Thanks! I do have a netbook and if I used some headphones with long cables, it might work.

You run faster when you know lightning could strike at any moment. Why not take advantage of that?

@zophu Haha, good point. Fear is a great motivator. Get my adrenaline pumping.

I’ve always wonderd if a rise in heart rate due to stress counts as cardio exercise.

Instead of a rope, how about a long extension cord.

The heavy duty orange ones would probably be best, but I imagine the regular ones could be used as long as they’re long enough.

Try Shovelgloving

A jump rope is only a clothesline cut to the right length with handles added. It will work much better than an extension cord.

You can do a lot of different exercises with one of those large exercise balls to work out about any part of your body (see: http://www.exerciseballworkouts.net/). Do 30 minutes of that and you will really feel like you’ve done something. You may also mix that up with sit-ups, push-ups, roll-outs (with one an exercise wheel), bungee cord pulls to work you arms and legs, and chin-up/pull-ups on a door mounted bar. There are also exercise routines with dumbbells. See animated dumbbell workouts at: (http://www.sport-fitness-advisor.com/dumbbellexercises.html) I live in pea soup country (Tacoma, WA). It rains nearly all the time here. I do all of the above and more plus I’ve learned to run in the rain even in the dark with proper clothing and lights. If it is icy out it is a really good idea to stay inside to workout. Good health! Hit it!

@BluRhino I am so making a shovelglove right now. Any excuse to use a sledgehammer indoors.

@zophu: I have often wondered about strenuous exercise that is not connected to a productive activity.

How about churning milk to actually make butter, crank the gadget that makes ice cream, do pull-ups on door lintel and dust while you’re up there, chase a cat around the house when you want to clip his nails, jitterbug while emptying the dishwasher, and do squats while simultaneously washing windows?

@gailcalled It’s good when you get exercise from doing productive work, but its only possible to effectively regulate how much exercise you get with open-ended methods. Unless you’re doing what should probably be a machine’s job and are in constant labor. No one has that much house work unless they purposefully keep things inefficient and unorganized just to keep themselves busy.

@zophu: How about using an unmotorized lawn mower now and then shoveling your snow-covered driveway by hand?

@Gail

I do understand what you’re getting at, but…

Since the original premise of the Q was predicated upon “when it’s raining outside” those would be pretty difficult to accomplish :)

@Buttonstc: You’re right. Maybe moving the piano and heavy appliances around in order to wax the floors, remove the desicated mice and dust bunnies? Washing the insides of all the windows? You do see what I’m getting at.

I used to go to a gym…all those BTU’s being wasted on vanity. It seems a counterproductive activity. I had a permission slip due to lower back problems, so I was guilt-free (sort of).

Do a circuit. KIckbox for 5 minutes-jabs,hooks,uppercut,front,side and roundhouse kicks. Then jump rope for 3 minutes in between rounds Repeat for 45 to 60 minutes.

Try a run in the rain. It gives you a special motivation! It’s working well for me.