Do you feel guilty when feeling tired to workout?

M

MariaS

Cathlete
Hi,

I felt really lazy and tired this morning,and almost wanted to take an extra day off. I ended up doing Step, Jump and Pump anyway, though doing it quite easily. It felt okay like that, but not great. Anyway, I almost felt quilty for not going all out in the workout, and I would have felt really guilty had I not worked out at all. I know it's important to listen to your body and give it enough rest, but I end up feeling really guilty easily. Is anybody else like that? How do you convince yourself that you're not being lazy, but giving your body the rest it needs instead?

I'm a perfectionist by nature, so I guess I'll never get fully rid of this urge to demand quite a lot from myself...

It would be nice to hear thoughts on the matter, I could imagine a lot of us are somewhat demanding on ourselves ;)).

Enjoy the week,

Maria
 
Maria,

I come down very hard on myself for missed workouts and "not 100%" workouts too. Lately, I try to remind myself that I am doing a great job overall and that rest is just as important as workouts. Cathe says a lot in her workouts that some days are better than others and that you have take it by the day and see how strong you are feeling. When I have a "not 100%" day, I just try to remind myself that something is better than nothing. When I really am feeling too titred to work out, I sit down for a few and try to sike myself up. If I can't do it, then I know I need a rest. The trick with this is to just enjoy that rest and come back fighting tomorrow!

Christine
 
I have had a bad week in my new job and I have not exercised 4 days this week. I was so depressed that I did not have force to do a workout.Now I have come back to the way. Do not feel guilty.There are moments, a injury for example, that are going to stop your working. Use the rest days to let your body and your mind enjoy with other activities.
 
No, I never feel guilty. If I don't feel quite right or feel extra tired for whatever reason - as if I'm getting sick or something - I take a day off. Sometimes I'll start to workout and just feel drained. Then I know my body is telling me to rest that day and so I do. I wouldn't feel "guilty" over something like this, because I haven't actually done anything "wrong". To me, guilt implies you've done something you should not have done, or failed to do something you should have done. And it's all tied in with your personal sense of right and wrong to begin with, and the values and morals with which you were raised. It's a very personal and subjective thing to being with, so I'm sure all of us have different feelings on this subject.

I do understand your point of view though. I tend to be a perfectionist and an over-achiever, but as I age I'm also coming to realize there is no shame or guilt in giving your body a break when it asks for one. I always come back stronger and refreshed, even with one day's rest!

Carol
:)

(edited for typos - the perfectionist in me!! LOL!!)
 
When I take an extra day off, or don't give 100%, I feel lazy and like I failed - myself or whom-or what-ever. I constantly struggle with this. I liked what Carol said in her response. Sounds like she really has perspective. Fear of becoming fat is the root of my negative feelings. Negative mind messages we tell ourselves are wicked, aren't they?
 
No guilt here. When I feel tired, it means I need to do something different, like sleep or stretch or both.:) So I do yoga, curl up with a book afterwards, take a nap. Sometimes this can go on for 2-3 days straight. After that, I'm back to my workouts with Cathe's required 110%.

Pinky
 
I used to feel bad about taking of a scheduled workout day, or doing a workout at less than my 100%, but I've learned the importance of rest and of listening to your body (P90X helped a lot with that: intense workouts cycled in with rest and stretch days). I don't feel bad about taking an extra day off, or doing a lighter workout, but I do feel "guilty" when I do this for two days in a row. I guess it's a good kind of guilt that keeps me consistent.
 
Interesting post. It seems like every month I have a few days, sometimes even close to a week, of some sort of PMS where I feel absolutely awful. I practically hide under my desk at work hoping not to have to talk to anybody, and crawl into bed with the remote control when I get home. My thinking is clouded and fuzzy. Some months are worse than others, but I sure do hate those days.

On days like that, I don't even think about exercising; I focus all my attention on getting to work and staying there for the whole day. If I can do that, I feel like I've done well. Guilt comes when I wind up taking the day off, going in late or coming home early. Compared to that, working out seems unimportant, and I can't spare the energy to feel guilty about it. Then when I'm back to normal again, and I've got my energy back, I can't wait to work out!

Does anyone else experience anything like this?
 
Nancy, I have days like this every month as well. It's all I can do to get out of bed. I do find that it helps a great deal to workout through days like this, even if I don't give 100% or do a long and/or intense workout. In fact, these are the days I do something - anything - because if I didn't I probably wouldn't be able to function at all. I hate PMS - LOL!!

Carol
:)
 
Maria:

feel no guilt whatsoever! I have just taken a month off because I was on vacation with my kids in the UK and other things were more important each day, too much going on to workout. It's OK. You do not have to exercise every single day, and if you simply don't feel like it, then don't do it. Do something that feeds your soul instead.

I never work out more than 4 or 5 times per week normally, and I don't sweat it.

I am like Nancy: there are 3 or 4 days of each month when I too crawl into a hole and even though those are the exact days when exercise would help, I cannot face it. So what? I'm raring to go again a few days later and there's no fitness lost at all.

Just do what you want and kill that critical inner voice off with a good movie/book and some chocolate. That's what I do. ;-)

Clare
 
Hi everybody,

thank you so much for all your wonderful answers! I feel much better. For some reason it's just always nice to hear these things from someone else, even if you know the answer deep inside...;)!! And yes, yoga is a good idea! Thanks!

Yes, I do have days "like that" too. Sometimes working out can really make a difference, sometimes it feels really dreadful and I can hardly get through even an easy workout. And it's really hard to tell unless you try it. There's so much psychology involved there too, at least for me. It would be great if we could always hit that "perfect" workout mode, but it's just not possible. And then you just have to try to figure out whether it's physical (need rest, tired oa.), emotional, hormonal or something else. And too often it's a mixture of the above. So go figure...;)

Thanks again, and have a great week everyone!

Maria
 
Nope. I listen to my body when it tells me it needs a break. It's really not healthy to overtrain anyway, & you could end up doing more harm than good if you do too much.
 
Hi Maria! I no longer feel guilty but I used to have this feeling. I even went so far as to make up for lost sessions. Now that was crazy! I've been working out for 20 years & if I miss a session its not going to make any difference to me or my body. So don't feel guilty listen to your body & rest. You'll only come back that much stronger the next time. HTH, Kathy:D
 
Hi Kathy,

I totally understand the thing about making up for missed sessions... I haven't done it but it has crossed my mind...:O I'm glad you're over and above that! I'm getting there (hopefully) slowly...!

Maria ;)
 
I feel HUGE guilt. I took off both Saturday and Sunday because I was so tired (I even slept 11 hours on Sun). This morning I did a light workout with Power Circuit, and didn't get in my lunchtime run. I am feeling very guilty right now.

Just will have to get back into it tomorrow.

Shopgirl
 
Stop that Shopgirl! Relax & enjoy your life! Look around you at all the schleps who do nothing at all. Appreciate yourself & your discipline. Jeez, even God took a break on Sunday.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top