Rainy Day Blues

 Rainy days suck.. I cant get out and walk.. I'm stuck inside with a pot of hot chocolate and cookies.

 Well Boo Hoo ..get over it.
There are lots of ways to stay fit or get your 20 minutes of exercise at home on rainy days. On days that it is raining and I can't go to the track or walk in the neighborhood, I find things to do in the house that take energy and cause me to move my body. Many of us have come to the conclusion they cannot exercise because they don't have a gym membership. News flash! You really don't need one if you are creative enough.
What can you do around the house on rainy days to get plenty of exercise?

• Take down all your curtains from your windows and then wash all your windows on the inside. You can do the outside at a later time when it is nice outside. Make a solution of half vinegar and water, and wad up some old newspapers. There is something about newspapers that cleans windows really well. While you are washing the windows give all your mirrors the once over at the same time. Get your whole body into this exercise. Spend a good bit of time on each window and mirror. Set your spray bottle down on the floor after you spray one of the panes of glass. When you are ready to work on the next pane of glass reach down and pick up your spray bottle. Trade arms when cleaning your windows to give both arms a good work out.
• Dusting is another good way to exercise your body. Instead of using one of those dusters that allow you to do almost nothing, dust the old fashioned way. Do you have ceiling fans? Get up on a step stool or little ladder and clean the ceiling fan thoroughly. Clean those blades really well. I like to use a commercial dust cleaner such as Endust on a rag to do my dusting. While you are at it, look for cobwebs in the corners of your ceilings. I dust the entire perimeter of my ceiling and walls with a broom and an old towel tied to it. I spray it with Endust and go over every ceiling. Occasionally I even dust my ceilings in the same way. Since I have asthma, this helps to keep the dust down. I don't dust without Endust though. Spraying Endust on my dust rag (old towel, in my case) keeps the excess dust out of the air.
• Cleaning your cupboards and cabinets is another good way to work out. You do a lot of reaching to get all your glasses and plates out of the cupboards. I take my time removing everything from the top and bottom cabinets. This is good exercise because it causes you not only to reach, but it causes you to lift. The bottom cabinets will cause you to bend and reach. You might just want to sit on the floor or get on your hands and knees to empty out your bottom cabinets. Next wipe down all your cupboard and cabinet shelves with something like Green Works, or you can also use the vinegar and water.
• Stripping your beds and remaking them is also a good exercise. Strip the beds and launder the sheets. Go to your linen closet and put new sheets and pillow cases on and remake your beds. Done right, this is a good exercise. Be sure to miter your corners when you put your top sheet on your beds. If you have a large family, you will have a few beds to make. This could take you up to 30 minutes in some cases. This is a great workout. Be sure not to flip those sheets. You spread germs by flipping the sheets. Take your time and place your sheets on the bed without flapping them in the air to get them to spread out.
• Scrub the doors in your home that have handprints on them. Little kids with dirty hands tend to leave their marks on your front, back and inside doors. I don't have kids, but the doors still tend to get dirty, so I take a bottle of green works and scrub these areas.
• Cleaning your refrigerator is great exercise. Take everything out of your refrigerator. Throw out all the science experiments you have growing in there. If the shelves come out of the fridge, go ahead and take them all out. Wash the shelves in dish detergent and let them drain while you clean the inside of your fridge. I use a weak solution of Green Works on the inside of my fridge, and then I wipe it down. Dry the shelves and place them back and replace your food items neatly back into the fridge.
• Sweeping and mopping is another good way to burn off some calories. Take your time sweeping the floors, and then mop. I like to get down and clean the edges with a sponge. I pour a pail full of water and I also use my Green Works. I spray the corners and the perimeter of my flooring and baseboard and clean these areas by hand with a sponge. When the perimeter is cleaned I then mop the conventional way.
• Cleaning the bathroom is a chore almost everyone hates to do, but it can be done rather quickly. Just go ahead and remove everything from the bathtub, shower, sink and toilet. Spray everything down with a really good bathroom foam or spray cleaner and let it soak for a few minutes. Go check your emails and get a cup of coffee or glass of tea while you are waiting for the bathroom to soak. When you are through with your break, go back and finish the bathroom. It will be easy to clean. Put everything back in the bathroom that you took out to clean it. I clean the inside of my toilet with the toilet wand made by Clorox. The scrubbers are a very effective way to clean the toilet. You don't have to touch anything dirty.
• Vacuuming the carpets is another good way to work out. It's easy to do. Just move all the furniture you can to one side of the room and vacuum carefully to keep the marks looking neat. Then move the furniture back, and move the other furniture and do the same. I don't move anything really heavy, but I do move what I can. I move one chair and the end tables and coffee table an ottoman when I vacuum the living room.

I'm sure there are other things I could do on a rainy day, but that's all I can think of for now. I'm pooped now. It's time for a cold drink and some cookies.

Kate