While on a recent work trip to Miami, I had my fitness preparation all worked out. I was arriving the day after the Capitol Hill Classic 10k (a PR!) and planned on taking Monday off. Tuesday, I would run with a local Miami Run Group (it was an awesome run!) and Wednesday morning I would take a barre class offered at the gym in my hotel. Well, that didn’t quite pan out. Instead of taking Monday off, I did a strength circuit in my hotel room. Then during my Tuesday night run, my achilles began to ache a bit. I went to bed thinking everything would be fine. Instead, I woke up Wednesday morning with an upset stomach and achilles pain. I decided to skip the class and give my body a day of rest…until I couldn’t take it anymore and sneaked in a quick workout at the hotel gym before leaving town. It just felt wrong to not workout on a day I had planned to.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not a workout junkie (yet)…but to be honest, I probably should have just skipped the workout and stretched out and rested. It’s so easy for me to encourage others to take a rest day when they need it and to be honest, it’s usually easy for me to take a rest day as well. So I’m not sure why I guilted myself into working out when my body was screaming at me for a break.
I know this is something many of us struggle with, so I’m just going to have to continue to strive to listen to my body and be kind to it.
Have you ever not listened to your body when it needed rest? How do you deal with feeling guilty for not working out?
I have a hard time with forced/needed rest days – i have so many days where I can’t exercise due to my schedule and life, that when I am motivated and planned to workout, I want to do it! I hate being sick or injured and having those plans get ruined. I have to remind myself that bodies are designed to need rest, but I always feel guilty.
Yes – it is so hard to remember! We have to keep reminding each other, I think. You take your rest day and I’ll take mine (eventually!) 😉
I definitely have problems with rest days – I always feel like I should be doing something. It’s worse when you feel great on your planned rest day. I find if I get restless like that, I just take a walk around the neighborhood and go get froyo 🙂
Now, that is a SMART idea!
Yep, I did that today. Today was supposed to be a rest day but I still got up and attempted a strength circuit… only got halfway through it though. My body really needed the rest. At least I somewhat listened though, and didn’t push myself any further.