Summers in St Petersburg, Florida, are extremely hot and humid.
The temperature regularly soars into the nineties or even the triple digits. I have a lanai on the back of my house that I utilize as a workout space. I’ve equipped it with free weights, an incline bench, a yoga mat, jump ropes, mini trampoline and battle ropes. I like to devote approximately an hour to my fitness regiment every day. Unfortunately, the lanai is not temperature controlled. It is constructed of large screens that allow in fresh air and offer a gorgeous view. During the winter, the lanai offers the perfect temperature for exercise. It’s wonderfully cool. During the spring and fall, the outdoor conditions heat up quite quickly. I make sure to get up extra early in the morning to complete my workout before the heat of the day. In the summer, no matter how early I begin, the workout is excruciating. I run several box fans at max speed, but they don’t help all that much. I need to stand directly in front of a fan, and I still am drenched in sweat before I finish my warm up. The heat and humidity lead to a feeling of lethargy. It’s difficult to get motivated for a high intensity workout. On especially hot days, I am forced to workout inside the temperature controlled living space. Central air conditioning is essential. However, there isn’t a lot of room for me to exercise or use equipment. I worry about causing damage to home furnishings. I have considered joining a local St Petersburg gym so that I can have access to AC as well as a wider variety of workout equipment.