5 Reasons to Skip a Workout

Most Americans suffer from a serious exercise deficiency and therefore cannot afford to skip a workout. But, this doesn’t mean you should spend every day at the gym either. No matter what your fitness level, everyone needs to give their body time to recover between workouts. In the case of high intensity workouts, it’s recommended that you do only two or three sessions per week, and on your “off” days you may engage in another form of gentler exercise, like yoga, flexibility training or stretching. Spacing your workouts appropriately helps you get the most benefits without over-stressing your body, but you generally want to avoid skipping too many of your “on” days. That being said, there are certain instances when it may make sense for you to skip your workout entirely. 5 Scenarios When Skipping Your Workout Makes Sense One of the benefits of being fit is that you can take time off from exercise and use the “reserves” that you have built up during your time off. If done infrequently, skipping a workout is unlikely to negatively affect your overall fitness level, and in the cases that follow is probably more beneficial than not. 1. You’re Sick “Below Your Neck” - If you have a simple cold and you feel up to it, exercise can actually be beneficial. Increasing your body temperature enough to break a sweat may even help you to kill off invading viruses (it’s sort of like a do-it-yourself fever). Use common sense, though. If you’re exhausted and feeling very ill, the stress exercise puts on your body may end up suppressing your immune system and impeding your healing process. At the very least, you’ll want to take your workout level down a notch or two if you’re fighting off an illness. High-intensity exercise should be avoided when you’re sick, because any kind of intense exercise boosts production of cortisol, a stress hormone that inhibits the activity of natural killer cells — a type of white blood cell that attacks and rids your body of viral agents. And if you have a fever or symptoms “below your neck,” like those below, you’re probably better off resting instead of exercising: • Coughing or chest congestion • Fatigue • Widespread body and muscle aches • Vomiting, upset stomach and/or stomach cramps 2. You’re Injured - Regular exercise can help you to prevent many injuries, however you’ll want to avoid exercising an injured area of your body. If you have a shoulder injury, you may still be able to work out your lower body (or vice versa), so long as you don’t aggravate the injured area. You should focus on healing and definitely avoid any activities that cause pain at the injury site. Oftentimes, you may still be able to engage in gentle exercises, such as swimming, water aerobics and some types of yoga, even if you are injured. In fact, it might be beneficial. Listen to your body and be careful not to overdo it. 3. You’re Exhausted - If you’ve had a poor night’s sleep, you may be better off sleeping in than getting up early for your morning workout. Like exercise, sleep is also essential for your health, and you generally don’t want to sacrifice one for the other. It’s difficult to catch up on sleep once you’re sleep-deprived, so make sleep a top priority. Keep in mind, however, that exercise is important too. If you have a hard time waking for early-morning workouts, try exercising in the mid-morning or afternoon if your schedule allows it. You can even exercise in the evening, if you like. Some people find late-night exercise to be beneficial for sleep. Generally, exercise should leave you feeling energized and invigorated. If you find your workouts typically leave you feeling exhausted instead of energized, this is a sign that you may be exercising too much and need to take more time for recovery. 4. Your Body Is Very Sore - Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), or the muscle soreness you've experienced one to two days after exercise, is caused by inflammation stemming from microscopic tears in your muscle fibers. More specifically, these are microtears between your muscles and their surrounding tissues. This most often occurs when you start a new exercise program, change it in some way, or resume exercising after a period of inactivity. Eccentric contractions seem to cause the most soreness, meaning movements that cause your muscle to forcefully contract while lengthening, such as the downward motion of squats or pushups. These damaged muscles release chemical irritants that trigger mild inflammation, which awakens your pain receptors. This temporary discomfort is a natural part of your body's natural muscle-rebuilding process, and is generally not an indicator that you need to skip a workout. Many people, in their zeal for beginning a new exercise regimen, overdo it and become extremely sore. In this case, if your muscles are very sore you’ll want to take ample time for those muscles to fully recover before training them again — which may be much as five to seven days. 5. Your Schedule Is Jam-Packed - On days when you’re completely overextended, a lengthy trip to the gym may not be in the cards. This doesn’t mean you should skip your workout entirely. The point is; gone are the days when going to the gym needs to take you two hours. In fact, you don't even have to go to the gym at all if you don't want to or don’t have the time. Some of the best workouts can be done in 20 minutes or less, right in your own living room. Source: mercola.com, 4/10/16.