My friend Kara suggested I write about how to deal with moments when you’re forced to skip a workout. And I thought it was a good topic, so here we go.
My major thing (that I have to remind myself of sometimes) is to never beat myself up over anything. It’s just not worth it. Skipping a workout is one of those things. Sometimes life just happens and you don’t get to fit in a good workout of the day. You woke up late. You have a million things on your to do list. You have a work meeting and errands to run and a birthday party and dinner with your family. The list goes on. And on. And on. And on these days, your workout kind of loses it’s priority, right? And hey. Guess what? That’s okay. If you lead a healthy lifestyle most of the time, it’s certainly not going to kill you to take a day (or a few) off. You won’t instantly gain a bunch of weight. You won’t lose your muscle tone and those abs you’ve been working toward just like that. I think that’s the number one thing to remember. Although it’s easy to forget.
And just because you may have to skip a planned workout doesn’t mean you can’t make your whole day a workout! My favorite thing to do on super busy days when I can’t set aside some devoted time to a specific workout, is to just sprinkle in little workouts here and there throughout the day.
- Do squats while folding the laundry.
- Get down and plank while you wait for your coffee to brew.
- Lunge from one room to the other.
- Take the stairs (always)!
Little things like that will make your energy levels sore and also boost your mood on those days that don’t allow for much else! You know what they say, the little things add up! :)
Want to know another great way to be sure to lead an active lifestyle? Dress the part! Like wearing some cute workout pants and adidas women’s running shoes, totally looks chic and athleisure vibes, but also you can do some squats throughout your day without getting any weird looks. ;)
So what are some ways you deal with having to skip a workout?
xo
p.s. We’re off to San Jose for BlogHer today! It’s Sam’s first trip and I’m so excited about it. :) Follow along on Instagram (@katie_did_what).
Skipping a workout gives us yet another thing to feel guilty about. Trying to think big picture and think about your workout frequency over a week or a month can help put it in perspective. And upping the incidental daily activity is a big thing to look at too. Enjoy the conference.
Amen! Guilt is such a terrible thing but so easy to fall into! Let’s not let ourselves get there!
xo
I’m a new reader. I found you Wednesday through the Pleated Poppy link up. Anyways, I love this post and you make me feel better about my “little workouts” throughout the day. I am a mama who works full time outside the home and I hate to spend every evening at the gym because I don’t want to miss out on time with the family. I do a lot of my workouts on my lunch break, but if I have other errands to run during lunch, I do those “little workouts” throughout the day and they really add up.
Calf raises while I am standing at my filing cabinets
Wall sits
Counter top pushups whenever I go to the ladies room (because who wants to touch the floor in a public restroom!?)
Tricep dips from my desk chair
At home I will add more calf raises while brushing my teeth, planks, pushups, chin ups when I do laundry (the bar is on the door by the laundry room), etc.
The biggest reason people often give for not working out is lack of time, but everyone has those few minutes of down time throughout the day. It’s just about reminding yourself to use them wisely rather than pacing impatiently while waiting for the microwave!
Awww I’m so happy that you’re reading my blog! That made my day :) I LOVE all of your workouts too. All of those little workouts add up! I’m sure you’re one hot mama! Loooooove the counter top pushups- GENIUS! Tricep dips are brutal, too. That’s awesome!
xo
love your outlook on it! I try to always get some sort of walk in during the day- even if it’s a 15 min powerwalk around the block! I like your tips to do some little exercises even for just a few minutes- you’re so right, it all adds up!
Have so much fun on your trip! Can’t wait to hear about it :)
Yes, I loooove going on walks! Even just a short one really refreshes you! And thanks, I’m really looking forward to this trip! :)
xo
I definitely needed this post. I’m at this point where I can’t do any cardio at all because it taxes my adrenal system too much and I have to save some of that. Thank you so much for posting this because I feel so so incredibly guilty every single day that I’m missing cardio. Cardio is my life. It’s so much fun and it’s what keeps me alive!
Awww I’m glad my post helped! NO feeling guilty allowed!!!
xo
I’ve been lucky enough that I haven’t has to skip a workout in a while. But I remember when I was working 8-3, then class from 4-9 and wouldn’t get home until 8:50 every night. Let’s just say I skipped every workout every day for that reason. I just focused I the fact that I was bringing in money and that this wouldn’t be a forever thing. And the workouts that I did get in was speed walking from my car to work { which took me about 5 minutes every day haha } and my weekend runs.
Wow, you were super busy, girl!!! It’s not worth it when you’re that busy to stretch yourself so thin- that’s when injuries and exhaustion happens, and that does more harm than good for your body! I’m glad your schedule has mellowed a bit now :)
xo
Great tips!!!!
Thanks! :)
xo
Great mentality! Your workouts shouldn’t BE your life – they should simply be a PART of your life. Sometimes certain parts get left out … it happens!
AMEN to that, sister!
xo
On days I know that I won’t be able to run or get to the gym I be sure to wear my Fitbit! I really reminds me to keep moving and not sit around all day.. Lol! I always take the stairs and park a little further out in the parking lot.
Every little bit helps (:
It is so funny that you wrote on this today because I wrote about how I messed up on my beach vacation! I can definitely be hard on myself when I don’t fit in a workout, but it is tough some days. BTW I’m so sorry for the outfit copy. I actually requested a different tank, but they definitely sent me the same one you had on last week. haha #twining :/
Great tips! I do planks in my living room as a break from working, and I do squats or calf raises when I’m brushing my teeth at night :) Have fun at BlogHer!
I saw a meme forever ago that said “You didn’t get skinny from one salad and one workout. You’re not going to get fat from one burger and one rest day.” I’m 29 weeks pregnant right now and I honestly haven’t skipped a workout in the past month. But earlier in my pregnancy, I skipped most of my workouts most of the time because I was tired and didn’t feel well. I imagine that when the baby comes, there’ll be a lot more reason to skip the gym. I think trying to stay active and do little things throughout the day will be super helpful, but also really focusing on eating as healthy as possible instead of letting the missed workout start a bad unhealthy cycle.
Love the ‘squats while folding laundry’ idea!!
great post! i am definitely guilty of beating myself up over a missed workout. especially if my eating wasn’t on point that day. to be honest though, after a 10 hour work day i get so pooped! add gym time on top of that and i feel like i have just enough time to go home, eat dinner, and shower before needing to turn in for the night. you’re right though, one workout (or even a few) isn’t going to suddenly transform me for the worse. :)
It is so easy to fall into the perfectionist’s trap of ‘once it’s on the list it needs to be done’ – which is especially easy to do (and become slightly obsessed with), with health and fitness things. Workouts have this way of making us feel clean, deserving and as if life after them becomes hard earned…but in reality this is just in our minds. Our bodies don’t need to be worked out rigidly – however our mind does. A cool state of mind and a no sweat attitude to things not going according to plan will help us all out so much :) There is no point in kicking ourselves for something we didn’t do – most of us can’t even explain why we feel guilty for not sticking to a workout? It’s a vicious, psychological cycle. And besides, when you are truly busy you are running around burning energy and using your muscles anyway…a good workout doesn’t require sweat pants and sports shoes to be effective ;)
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and making us all feel better! <3
Hi Katie, I love following your blog. Can I ask what kind of nike’s those are? I saw you post them on your TIU Instagram and love them so, so much!
Hi Jeanette! Thank you so much! I’m glad you love my blog :) Makes me happy!! The shoes are Nike Flex. Here’s the link: http://bit.ly/1ny7xOO
xo