Thursday Thoughts: Overcome Exercise Guilt

Exercise guilt.

Once you become consistent with a workout routine, one missed day can put you on a mental rollercoaster of guilt. You know, the terrible state of mind you go to when you beat yourself up for skipping the gym because you are tired or decided to have date with a friend instead of the treadmill?

The good news is that you are not alone in the overbearing feelings of guilt that can come with giving your 6:00 pm Turbo Kick the cold shoulder. I can be flat out obsessive about a program and then put on the mental boxing gloves when I “slip.”

The reality is that skipping a day in your workout regimen can be beneficial. This can be a difficult concept to grasp when you think that more time in the weight room = a better bod. But in order to see improvements and get stronger your muscles need to recover. Your body does need a day of rest and cannot handle the stress of constant activity.

It is easy to become an addict of an endorphin-building workout, but when life gets in the way of your fitness routine, remember these tips:

1. Putting on weight does not happen overnight so it is truly silly to give into the mental banter for a couple days lost. You have to cut out/burn 3,500 calories to lose a pound and a single workout does not equate to that.
2. Filling your head with negative thoughts will not inspire you, but instead discourage you. So stop. Just stop right now.
3. Taking a day off will make your next workout more powerful. Your muscles need rest and time to recover so give it to them!
4. Think of the big picture: missing a spin class will not destroy your healthy lifestyle habits. It takes much longer than that to put you back at square one. So if you get off the horse, just get back on and pick up where you left off without feeling like you are a fitness failure.
5. Listen to your body. Are you skipping out on the gym out of pure laziness or is your body telling you that it is tired and needs a break? If the thought of running a mile makes you mentally exhausted then perhaps you need a break. You know yourself best.
6. Enjoying a life outside of your fitness room is equally important to healthy living. Your body will thank you for that just as much as it will thank you for a good sweat session.  Your life should be a priority and fitness should fit into it.

Do you have exercise guilt? How do you overcome it?

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