How do you tell the difference???

Fit_mommy

Fit_mommy

Cathlete
Hello everyone.

So I've been an avid exerciser for what has got to be 6 years now. You'd think I'd know the difference by now but I truly don't!

How do you ladies know when your body is craving a rest day that you SHOULD take or when you are just feeling lazy and should try to push through a work out rather then skip it??

I ask because I am soooo not wanting to work out right now but I really don't know if it's a lazy thing or a sign that my body needs the rest??? :confused:

TIA!:)
 
Let me tell you, Wendy, it's a hard thing to figure out! But if I feel that strongly about not working out, then I usually don't. Usually if I'm extra tired, I'll skip it... but that's hard to tell sometimes, too, because lots of time "tired" means that I'm brain dead from staring at the computer all day. Once I get moving, I usually feel much, much better.

On the other hand, I am trying to work more rest days into my schedule. I feel fine and love to work out. I feel great while I'm doing it. BUT, dang it, I keep injuring myself. Apparently, no matter how good I feel, my body isn't handling the current schedule as well as I think it is.
 
Interesting thing to bring up, Wendy. I am so tired today I could fall asleep just about anywhere I think. I suffer from horrible, horrible daily fatigue and pretty much have to force myself to work out everyday. I'm beyond the point now of knowing when to take a rest day. I have no idea. I just take rest days now if a.) the day gets so crazy that I'm just not able to get to working out, (that happens probably once a week or so) or b.) I'm nauseous or have a bad cold. I can't push through feeling sick. I'm not that good!

Fatigue doesn't usually force me to rest anymore. It's too much a part of my daily life. Today may be different though. I'm really struggling. I do remember reading though that yesterday you did B&G Leg Blast premix and then went for a three mile run!?!?!?!?!? :eek::eek: No wonder you're tired today, missy! YIKES! :eek:
 
Allie, it sounds like you need a rest WEEK. Have you had your thyroid checked? Blood sugar? White blood cells? You're too young & beautiful to be fatigued all the time, maybe there's an easy fix that'll change your life!

I can't describe how I know when I need it, I just do. It's not the same feeling as being tired or fatigued. It's more of a physical exhaustion that I feel in my bones. Too hard to put into words. But I also keep my eye on the calendar. I don't let 6 months go by without a rest week.

As far as a rest day goes, if I feel tired or am really not in the mood for it, I just don't do it. Missing one workout is not gonna set you back. Unless you miss one workout 7 days in a row. :p
 
Alli - You sound just like me. I am tired all the time. By the end of 8 hours staring at this computer, I am good for nothing. I think for me job dissatisfaction figures in a little. :(
 
Liann said:
I think for me job dissatisfaction figures in a little. :(
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Amen to that. I do nothing at work all day--nothing. 8 hours of debilitating boredom and generally being useless and hating my job probably has an effect on my energy level. ;)
 
Fit_mommy said:
Hello everyone.

So I've been an avid exerciser for what has got to be 6 years now. You'd think I'd know the difference by now but I truly don't!

How do you ladies know when your body is craving a rest day that you SHOULD take or when you are just feeling lazy and should try to push through a work out rather then skip it??

I ask because I am soooo not wanting to work out right now but I really don't know if it's a lazy thing or a sign that my body needs the rest??? :confused:

TIA!:)
Click to expand...


Wendy - when I get like that and think I should work out, I will pop in a favorite video (IMax 2 usually :p) and do the warm up. If I am still exhausted and not feeling it after the warm up and the beginning, I know I need a rest day. Usually, I'm feeling so much better and ready to go, though, and just needed to push through the slump.
 
I agree Christine - I usually get one started and if after the warm up I'm still tired and not focused I'll just leave it. Once in a while I just go for a walk instead and see if the fresh air brings me back to life. :D

Marcia
 
I want to workout about 99% of the time. I can tell when I need a break because it's the 1% when I really don't want to and I don't have the enthusiasm for it. Usually it's when I push myself too hard and I'm really tired.
 
Wendy, you were on the RT and working mighty hard. Two days' rest is probably a good idea. Or, if you don't want to take a total rest, make it a P90x yoga day instead. I know I've been cringing at the thought of anything impact! :)
 
Wendy,

It wasn't until I had a sidelining injury that I truly grasped the concept of listening to my body--and not always my brain. After that, I learned how to tell the good aches from the not-so-good, when to push it and when not to. With certain problematic areas, I lean a little more on the side of caution now. But I think everyone is different. I now know my own limitations, and I don't compare those with that of others. I just do what's right for me. So bottom line: it means sometimes shutting off the voice in your head that wants to go ovaries-to-the-wall all the time. :) I had to learn the hard way that, for me, that's not always best.
 
"Wendy - when I get like that and think I should work out, I will pop in a favorite video (IMax 2 usually ) and do the warm up. If I am still exhausted and not feeling it after the warm up and the beginning, I know I need a rest day. Usually, I'm feeling so much better and ready to go, though, and just needed to push through the slump."
__________________
Christine


ITA with this...Its the quickest & easiest way for me to tell the difference...Cathe also just recently posted this similar response about how she handles this....because someone asked her about a similar thing .......

BTW: I didnt go on the R/T BUT I know many who did and almost ALL of them took 3-5 days off and/or just lite 30 minute days ..... The body gets faster, better, stronger AFTER a good rest- Dont be too hard on yourself.
 
Wendy, I honestly thing the RT took a toll on us. I rested Mon and Tues. I did MM yesterday. But today, I did something I have NEVER done! I started GS tris/chest and quit in the middle! I just couldn't focus on it.I felt so guilty, but maybe a rest week is in order for me too, although it's hard for me to think of going an entire week.
 
I am the same way a rest day for me makes me feel completely lazy. Even though I have that hip flexor strain i am still trying to work through it I tried power yoga two of the days and yesterday i did spin and to me that is not super strenous since I am used to doing more. (this is my somewhat of a rest week b/c i didnt realize how hard i do normally push myself and had for three years straight) i noticed that now my body tells me when i need the rest and unfortunately my brain thinks it can continue to work. i think a good rest week is always nice and maybe add yoga and walks since it is summertime or a more enjoyable activity from your usual regimen because sometimes it lays down to just boredom. so enjoy your rest and maybe try to incorporate one or two into your normal routine and then on one day that you are feeling this way you can use one of the rest days your usual rest day and the other as a freebie (if you have no time or just plain dont feel like it) this way your brain has already planned it and then no guilt
 
Fit_mommy said:
Thanks for the replies girls. I took a rest day today and I'm sticking to it!:)
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Good for you, Wendy! I've learned the hard way that I need to listen to my body and rest. When I can't drag myself out of bed in the morning, feel tired all day, and just don't have my usual energy I know it's time for a break. It's hard for me to not feel lazy, but I know it's worth it. It's when you're resting that your body is repairing, that's what I tell myself!

Jess
 
BTW: I didnt go on the R/T BUT I know many who did and almost ALL of them took 3-5 days off and/or just lite 30 minute days ..... The body gets faster, better, stronger AFTER a good rest- Dont be too hard on yourself.
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The thing that killed me on the RT was the lack of sleep. I averaged 4-5 hours both nights. If I don't get ATLEAST 6, I am a zombie. The work outs themselves were challenging and fun but not over the top. Had I been able to get a GOOD night's sleep I probably would not have had any back lash from the RT except for the sore calves I ended up with from all of the impact I guess. That being said, after a good night's sleep I did not feel the need to rest on Monday. I thought I would but as it turns out I was fine. So what's my point? That I am OBVIOUSLY very GOOD at listening to my body when it WANTS to work out but very BAD when it DOESN'T!:p

While at work today I was contemplating trying something new....longer, more intense work outs coupled with more rest days. For example, has anyone ever worked out super hard but only every other day? If so, what did you think of it? I don't know if I'll be able to do this given my schedule but it was a thought I had. I have been working out 6 days a week for years and was wondering how I could change it up to have more rest days but not see any negative reprocussions from taking the extra time off.
 
Fit_mommy said:
While at work today I was contemplating trying something new....longer, more intense work outs coupled with more rest days. For example, has anyone ever worked out super hard but only every other day? If so, what did you think of it? I don't know if I'll be able to do this given my schedule but it was a thought I had. I have been working out 6 days a week for years and was wondering how I could change it up to have more rest days but not see any negative reprocussions from taking the extra time off.
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I actually did that very type of thing a year or so ago because of a crazy work schedule...I did it for about 3 weeks I think....It was actually a nice shock for my body - I was VERY tired by the end of 3 weeks tho...I actually dropped some BF but must say I was FAMISHED all the time so had to be very very careful of the quality of calories I was consuming...I did start really craving carbs (energy source) but I am so carb sensitive that had I given in to all the bread cravings I would have gained 20#s! :D

I say try it- change is good & you dont have to do it any longer than you want! :)
 
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