Situated near the equatorial, Singapore doesn’t have four seasons. However, it has abundant rainfall and high humidity all year round. For people who love working out outdoor, it can be a challenge to battle the elements. Instead of fighting it, why not embrace it and find ways to exercise regardless of the weather?
When creating your training plans, it helps to know when it is likely to rain so that you can assign more indoor workouts during those months.
When Does It Rain in Singapore?
According to Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS), rainfall is plentiful in Singapore and it rains an average of 178 days in a year (about 49% of the year). Much of the rain is heavy and accompanied by thunder.
Singapore’s climate is characterised by two monsoon seasons separated by inter-monsoonal periods. In general, these are the prevailing climates in Singapore.
- Northeast Monsoon Season (December-early March)
- Early Northeast Monsoon (Wet Phase): From December to early January, Monsoon Surges are the culprit of continuous moderate to heavy rain
- Late Northeast Monsoon (Dry Phase): From late January to early March, it’s windy and relatively dry.
- Inter-monsoon Period (Late March-May): Thunderstorms may occur in the afternoon and early evening, while hot afternoons are common.
- Southwest Monsoon Season (June-September): Showers/thunderstorms in the morning and afternoon are common.
- Inter-monsoon Period (October-November): Thunderstorms may occur in the afternoon and early evening.
Typically, December is the wettest month of the year, followed by November and January. These are the months that fall in the wet phase of Northeast Monsoon Season.
To check the latest weather outlook in Singapore, visit the National Environment Agency (NEA) website, or its myENV mobile app.
What Can You Do to Keep Fit in Case of Rain?
When it rains in Singapore, one doesn’t need to worry about not being able to exercise. In fact, Singapore residents have plenty of options to do physical activities indoor during rainy days.
1. Gym.
From the no-frills ActiveSG gyms to premium gyms, there are no shortage of gyms in Singapore that can accommodate passionate fitness addicts.
2. Indoor Group Workouts.
If you don’t fancy working out alone, but you can’t convince your family and friends to accompany you to go to gym on a rainy day, perhaps you should explore indoor group workouts, such as fitness/yoga classes offered by gyms or studios, free workouts organised by Health Promotion Board, or daily free exercises at Singapore Sport’s Hub.
3. Home Workout
The easiest replacement of outdoor activities is, no doubt, a home workout. There are plenty of indoor exercises that you can do without equipment, fancy gears and time-consuming commute. You might not even need shoes. All you need are workout clothes, sometimes a mat, and probably mobile phone app or Youtube. PS: Nike Training Club app has over 160 free workout videos for all levels.
4. Staircase Training.
Whether you’re training for your first vertical marathon or you just want to get fit, it’s so easy to do stairs training in a country with such high density of high-rise buildings. If you’re staying in an apartment or working in a high-rise building, your workout spot is literally on your doorstep. Otherwise, this is a list of places where you can do staircase training.
5. Indoor Swimming.
For Aquaphiles who can’t live without getting into the water, you’ll be ecstatic to know that there are plenty of swimming pools in Singapore that you can jump into, regardless whether it rains or not. Some of the popular indoor or sheltered pools in Singapore are OCBC Aquatic Centre, Sengkang Swimming Complex and the rooftop Tampines Swimming Complex. If your apartment or house has sheltered pools, you’re lucky!
6. Fitness Assessment.
Not in the mood for any exercise during the gloomy weather? Why not do fitness assessment? If you’re worried about paying high fees to hire a Personal Trainer (PT) in order to obtain such assessment and fitness advice, fret not.
Members of the public can get personalised fitness assessments and health and wellness advice without paying hefty fees at Active Health Lab at Our Tampines Hub. The lab is an initiative by Sport Singapore and its healthcare partners to promote a healthy lifestyle by making health and fitness expertise more accessible to the community.
Participants will undergo certain tests, such as functional movement screening test and strength test; and learn how to cultivate healthy habits through physical activity, screen time, sleep and healthy eating.
What do you do to keep fit during the rainy season?
