Before You Skip A Workout
Before You Skip A Workout: 6 Questions To Ask Yourself
Creating an exercise routine and staying committed to it is easier said than done. We all want to skip a day every now and then, but should we?
When we skip a day we set ourselves up to want to skip more days. We can also lose momentum, this is especially true for those prone to losing touch with good exercise habits.
As a personal trainer, the best advice I can give is to never skip a day if you can help it.
If you are thinking about skipping a day here are some questions you should ask yourself before you make your final decision.
Ask Yourself:
1. Do I have a good reason to skip this workout?
Examine why you want to skip your workout. There are good reasons to miss your workout, but not every reason is a good one. If you’re really tired, injured or sick you might need to take a break and rest. Keep in mind that being tired is usually a poor excuse because exercise provides energy.
If you are lacking motivation, you should think back and remember why you made your fitness goals in the first place. Reaffirm your goals and then decide if you really want to skip your workout. Every missed workout puts you further away from your fitness goals.
2. What will I do to make up for my missed workout day?
Having a back-up plan for missed workout days is a good thing. Eventually we all have to miss a workout, but we don’t have to work out any less. We can do an extra workout during the week or we can work out longer during the next workout. Missing a day doesn’t have to be the end of the world.
3. How is missing this workout going to affect my fitness goals?
Each workout is important to our overall fitness goal. Missing a workout can affect the momentum that you are building. Remember that exercise has the best benefits when it is done on a regular basis. If you miss too many workouts it could impact your goals and prevent you from reaching them. You should consider this before you decide to miss even one day.
4. What can I do to convince myself to not miss this workout today?
If you are lacking the motivation to do your workout for the day you can always resort to bribery. Offer yourself a reward for pushing through and doing the workout. You will be amazed at what you can accomplish when you receive the proper motivation. After you do your workout you will feel great and wonder why you even wanted to miss it in the first place. You should know what motivates you best, use that to help you make your decision.
5. What is really stopping me from working out?
Be honest with yourself and understand why you’re not wanting to workout. If you are tired, get some sleep then workout. If you’re hungry, grab a snack then start your exercises.
If you’re bored with your workout, change it up and try something new. Call up a friend and workout with them. Remember that working out should be fun and with all the choices we have in fitness there should be no reason to ever get bored.
6. How Will I Feel If Skip The Workout?
Will I feel guilty, or bad about myself? Will I feel like I did not accomplish what I should have? What feelings will I miss out on that I typically languish in after exercise? Maybe I won’t feel healthy, or accomplished, or strong?
To Skip Or Not To Skip A Workout, That Is The Question
It takes motivation to keeping your commitment to your fitness goals. The key to keeping that motivation is to remember why you made those goals in the first place.
Stay focused on what you want from your workout and reward yourself for all your hard work.
Have fun and change up your workout. Take a class, workout with a friend and let others help you to stay motivated.
Once you have all the facts and make careful considerations you will be able to make the correct decision whenever doubts creep in.