7 Good Reasons for Skipping a Workout
After I finished my Tough Mudder, I came down with a cold that I’d been fighting off for days. My kids had been coughing on me for a week leading up to the event, and every morning I breathed a sigh of relief when I didn’t wake up with a sore throat. So I wasn’t totally surprised when my throat started to get scratchy about an hour after the race. My body was exhausted after the race anyway, and it took my immune system several days to finally heal all the parts of my body that needed healing. So, was I back in the gym the Monday after the Tough Mudder like I’d planned? Um, nope. I missed almost an entire week of workouts. There’s just something about coughing up a lung or two that makes cardio extremely unappealing. But getting a break like that, particularly after such a tough event, was probably a good thing for me. My body got to recover and then I was ready to kick butt when Jenn came to visit. (More on a workout we did next week!)
We’re usually all about helping you make room in your life for workouts and kicking excuses to the curb. But today we’re actually giving you an out: totally acceptable reasons to miss a workout. These aren’t the types of “dog ate my gym shoes” excuses that you use when you know you totally could have hit that group exercise class in a backup pair of cross-trainers. These are the totally justifiable reasons when you really should sit it out a day — or more.
Reason No. 1 for Skipping a Workout: You’re Injured
It’s not only important to skip your workouts when you’re injured, but it’s a necessity if you want to feel better! Giving your injury a break is essential to letting it recuperate so you’re able to get back on the horse again soon. Putting more strain on an injury is just a recipe to get sidelined for good. Talk to your doctor or physical therapist to find out what activities you can do with your injury. It might be possible to modify exercises so you can still work out, but there might be exercises to avoid, too. Being injured can be a positive in some ways, though. Nothing makes you miss working out more than not being able to do it, and this type of setback can also push you to discover new workouts you enjoy. If you can’t run because of a knee injury, you might be able to try Pilates. If you have a stress fracture, you could fall in love with the bike or rowing machine or try a low-impact class.
Continue reading for six more good reasons to skip a workout…
What’s your craziest excuse for skipping a workout? When’s the last time you had a good reason? —Erin