Senso1970's Blog   Thoughts, ramblings, and accountability from sunny Madison, AL

Having a rainy day is ok if you can see the silver lining.  Take today for example, was a literally rainy day.  I had decided earlier in the day that I would do a jump rope workout today.  I was getting ready to do it when I heard the sound of pitter patter on the roof.  It was raining outside.  It would have been easy to decide to do an easier indoor workout.  In fact I had contemplated the idea.  And then I realized it’s just a little rain.  I had decided to do a jump rope workout for a reason.  It burns more calories and strengthens the body due to the impact from jumping.

The downside of not working out with the jump rope was fewer calories burned and less progress in my fitness program.  The downside of doing the jump rope workout was I’d get wet.  Getting wet seemed the lesser evil so I grabbed the rope and went outside.  It was a better workout than I had imagined.  That was the silver lining.

For one, going out in the rain to work out showed willpower.  And willpower is a muscle all its own.  The more you work it out the stronger it gets.  And with it the positive mindset and happiness of knowing you did the right thing.

Second, I had to learn to adapt with the jump rope.  The rope I use outside is a leather jump rope.  And the thing I learned today using the rope in the rain is that the leather jump rope absorbs water really well.  And that throws off the timing because the rope got heavier as the workout moved forward.  It was fun having to mindfully adjust to the changes as the rope got heavier.

Next, along with the rain was the wind.  That throws the motion of the rope off a bit, too.  Unlike the rain which slowly made the rope consistently heavier the wind picks up and recedes so the effect was erratic.  Again, it taught me to be more mindful of how the rope was swinging and how I was controlling it.  Bonus.

And finally, the rope wasn’t the only thing getting heavier.  I was.  As the rain soaked my clothes I was getting a little heavier.  Not a lot mind you. It wasn’t like the rain added 20 pounds or anything.  But as the workout went on and I was naturally getting more tired it did make it a little more taxing then if I had jump roped on a dry day.  So it took the workout up a notch.

So there you have it.  A rainy day didn’t have to be a bad day.  In fact it was a great day because it made me a little stronger and a little better.  The silver lining in the rain cloud.  Hope you had a great day, rain or shine.  See you soon.  Peace.