Listen To Your Body

On Tuesday night, I came down with a stomach bug, and to put it politely, let’s just say I lost some fluids.

Come Wednesday morning, despite feeling tired and a tad weak, I really wanted to get my workout in!  But I promised myself, I would only modify, not push myself too hard, and see how it went. 

I pressed play, ONLY modified, and still barely got through twenty minutes of the thirty minute workout.  I knew then, it was time to press stop, give myself some grace, and walk away.   And I did! 

We have to listen to our bodies, we have to trust our instincts, and we have to know when enough is enough or when we can give a little more. 

There are days when my nose might be a wee bit runny, but I convince myself that I am deathly ill, and shouldn’t work out.  That’s silly.  There are also days that I am dog-awful sick, but for some reason, I am determined to get my workout in, come hell or high water.  That’s also silly. 

The point is, we have to do a self-analysis, determine WHY we do or do not want to workout, evaluate how we are truly physically feeling, prioritize what’s more important for that day…resting or pushing- and then make the best decision we can. 

What about listening to your mind?  Some days, my body feels fine, but the LAST thing I want to do is work out.  The thought of pushing play, jumping up and down, lunging, or doing one more doggone push-up is just excruciating.  So I give myself a mental-health day off!  That.is.okay. 

But be careful…mental health days are a slippery slope.  Depending on your goals, you are going to want to take very few mental healthy days, get your mind (and your butt) in gear, and go ahead and start sweating JUST to prove that you are stronger and bigger than that whiny voice in your head that is trying to convince you to skip your workout!

So listen to your body, and figure out what is best for you, but make sure you invite accountability in to your life because one skipped workout can quickly become thirty skipped workouts without the positive influence of good ole fashioned accountability.