So Remember When I Said "Push It!"....?

I should clarify.  As much as I'm all about pushing yourself, sometimes you need to take a step back, assess how you're doing and maybe back off.  This is almost always the case when you get sick.

It seems like I've been sick a lot this season, and every time I feel so GUILTY for taking a day (or two or FOUR!) off.  I started getting a runny nose Sunday and woke up with a sore throat Monday, but I decided to go ahead and go to the gym anyway for two reasons.  One, I didn't really feel THAT bad and two, if I started feeling worse, that meant even more time I'd have to take off.  Once I got up and started moving around I felt a little better and by the time I got to the gym I felt 98%.  Okay, maybe 95%.  But I'm really glad I went.  The class was a challenge (think 8 billion lunges with no breaks, me near tears, and my instructor laughing maniacally) and like they say, if it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you.

So today I woke up feeling pretty gross, but I was unusually NOT exhausted.  You know in movies when people wake up and they're like "hooray, a new day!"  No?  Me either.  But today wasn't that bad.  I mean, I didn't jump up and start skipping around my room helping the birds and squirrels make my bed, but I managed to get up and dressed without cursing the day.  I stopped, thought about how sick I was REALLY feeling (and not just that "yup, I'm sick enough, no gym!" gut reaction) and realized that while I should probably take it easy, I really wasn't that sick. 

So I went to the gym.  I worked out my upper body (since my lower body got beat to hell yesterday), then decided to do a medium walk on the treadmill with an incline.  So every 5 minutes I'd add .5 to the incline, finally reaching 4, and then brought it back down.  It was tough, but I wasn't gasping for breath and pouring sweat like I usually am.  Plus, when I got off my butt HUUUUURT!  Wow!  But in a good way!  I made sure to spray down everything I used so I wouldn't spread my grossness, so don't yell at me.  I burned 525 calories with an hour of walking, so I took it easy but still got a good workout in.

All in all, here are the points I'm trying to make:

If you're feeling sick or sore or injured, take a step back and ask yourself if it's a GENUINE reason not to work out, or just an excuse.

If you're not feeling 100% but you aren't bedridden, it's okay to work out.  Take it slow, reduce the weights, listen to your body.

If you are really sick or injured or even just exhausted, IT'S OKAY TO TAKE A BREAK!  REALLY!  One day or even a couple days will not send you back to the starting line.  It may take a couple of days (or longer, depending on how sick or injured you are) to get back to where you were, but the more you stick with it, the faster your recovery will be.  Pushing yourself when your body is telling you NO will only make things worse.