Reply to Give yourself permission to have a bad workout

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Great advice.  I've been exercising/playing sports for 26 years (6 days/week, sometimes twice/day) and have had plenty of bad workouts.  When they happen, just take them as one incident and move on.  You'll have awesome days out of nowhere to make up for the really sucky ones.  Depending on what it is, also give yourself permission to modify the workout, e.g., running slower than you planned, rather than ending it early entirely.  I've found that modifying helps me stick with it, even when it sucks, where stopping entirely just makes me wish I'd kept it up, even slowly.

The more you do exercise you enjoy, the less the sucky days matter.  But, truly knowing that they happen, usually randomly, is important.  Good luck, OP!!  Sounds like you're on a great streak--keep it up![/quote]

Thank you!! Your insight is great, and I appreciate your advice about modifying. I feel like a kid learning a skill I never picked up when I should have - my family wasn't into fitness/sports, and I was always that person who dreaded gym class. Learning to embrace and enjoy being active is a new thing for me... and learning to keep on with it even when it isn't always enjoyable is new too.

I am doing 5 days a week right now - Su/M/W/F/Sa. I'm already finding that during the week, with those two days off, it feels like a long time between workouts and it's harder to get back into it than on the 4-day stretch. I know rest is very important, but it does help me remember that not keeping it up only makes it harder and it's amazing how fast you can "lose" your progress.[/quote]
You're welcome and good for you!  It's not an easy habit to pick up, especially when you haven't been or thought of yourself as active or athletic.  I also dreaded gym class all through elementary, was chubby, etc., but started running cross-country and track in HS, and the former in particular really saved me.  Point being: we all start somewhere, and it can take time to learn new ways of being and thinking about ourselves.

Also: rest is important, yes, but that doesn't have to mean total inactivity.  Depending on what you're doing on the other days, it could be something complementary or an easier version of what you usually do.  I often will do yoga on my off day, or make sure to take a long walk (other days are a mix of mostly running and heavy lifting, with some swimming).  As long as you're getting enough sleep and eating a healthy diet, and not killing yourself on the workouts the other days, that should still be plenty of rest.  You'll do great![/quote]

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