Today, I went to yoga. I also had great plans to go do a HIIT interval training work out in the evening.
That didn't happen.
Why?
Because I am damn tired. And not the 'I just don't feel like it' tired. Or the 'I need a good excuse to work out' tired.
I am bone weary, struggling to keep my eyes open, "there isn't enough coffee in the world" tired.
So I skipped my evening work out.
And that was an excellent choice.
But it was a really, really hard choice...because I am an exercise-a-holic. (I write that pretty loosely, but I really do struggle with a diagnosed condition of obsessive-compulsiveness, and cardio is one of my obsessions...so skipping a work out is actually a really big mind trip for me, hence why i am writing this post.)
Listen- I know that they tell you to "never miss a work out". Or that, in order for something to become habit, you need to do it every day. Or that "the only bad work out is the one you didn't do".
But that's simply not true. It's actually terrible advice.
There are plenty of bad work outs- you'll know them when you feel them. When a seasoned runner just can't seem to get into their groove, and comes out of their run feeling terrible...they know it. When a lifter struggles to even get through basic reps with loads that they are more than comfortable with...they know it. When you are just 'off your game', and your muscles just don't want to do what you know they are capable of doing...you know it.
Sometimes, your body needs to rest.
For all of the 'exercise' programs out there and the plethora of information on how hard you need to 'work it to earn it', there is a shockingly small amount of information on the need for rest and recovery. This isn't really surprising- rest days don't make the diet industry any money. They can't sell you anything when you're asleep. They need you to feel like you need to perpetually be on the go- like if you aren't 100% all in, 100% all of the time you are failing.
That's how they make their money. By convincing you that you need them...all.of.the.time.
So I imagine it would shock you to learn that how much you sleep is actually more important to your health than how much (and what) you eat; that you can't 'out exercise' chronic fatigue and sleep deprivation; and, that while it's true that working out will give you more energy, nothing will give you more energy than getting an adequate amount of rest.
That's right kids. Rest and recovery are actually really crucial to how you function. And not prioritizing rest and recovery (including sleep) can not only lead to weight gain, but can also lead to injury. And, trust me when I say that nothing messes with your fitness goals more than an injury.
So while I'm not advocating skipping out on every work out because you are "tired"...knowing the difference between lethargy (A lack of energy, generally caused by a lack of enthusiasm and inactivity) and fatigue (your body's legitimate, physiological exhaustion, requiring rest and recovery in order to restore itself) is one of the most important lessons you can learn.
Your body restores itself during recovery periods- even more so when you sleep. This is when your muscles repair their tissue (which is the process that leads to bigger muscles), when it regulates its growth and hunger hormones, and when your brain does a great big chunk of its self-restoration. So yeah, sleep is a pretty big deal, outside of keeping you from just feeling tired.
So while you think it might be a good idea to skip that 'stretch' day in your program to hop yourself up on an extra cardio session, sometimes you need to listen to your body cues and know when to pull back instead of pushing forward.
So if you are fatigued, for the love of all that is good, sit this one out. Do yourself a favour and instead of hitting the gym, hit your pillow and give yourself an extra hour of sleep.
Skipping one work out will not derail your goals. You will not break all your good habits in one day. You will not put back on all the weight you've lost, or lose all the muscle you've gained.
All you will do is give your body an extra day to recover from all the stresses you put on it every day, and become better able to perform for you physically and mentally.
And better performance is worth forcing yourself to take the break.
The following post is part of a series STOP THE LIES! aiming at deconstructing the hundreds (thousands?) of lies being told by the diet industry in an effort to shame people (usually women, but they are broadening their scope to men more and more...how very inclusive <eye roll>) into having unhealthy relationships with their bodies in an effort to sell them products. Enough is enough. It's time to expose these lies for what they are.
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