Speaking of Feeling Like Fudge...

What do you do about exercising when you "don't feel up to it"?

No matter where you are in your weight loss journey, we all struggle with lack of motivation to exercise when we don’t feel well. Struggling with fitness is something that spans all types of people.

We live in a time when lean and bulging with muscles is considered the most attractive. A lot of

media sources will at best let you believe and at worst lead you to believe that if you aren't of this body type, you're unhealthy and/or a failure. We are lucky to live in a time where there is a strong and steady sub-cultural movement that argues against this and more doctors than not agree with. A movement that strives to have us realize that there are many different body types out there. One can be completely healthy and physically fit without fitting whatever mold is currently considered to be "the body" we all need.

There is no denying that fitness needs to play a big part of any healthy lifestyle. Through the decades, we have had more down time than previously and our bodies are not meant to stagnate as much as we sometimes let them.

To be clear, this is not about shaming anyone for not moving around much;

Amelia: “ I am the last person to shame someone for that, I have a handful of chronic illnesses that cause things like muscle spasms, nerve pain, chronic migraines and general lethargy.”

Carrie*: “ Me either, Arthritis and a slipped disc, and lets face it, a terminal-dislike for exercise... makes it tough!”

Maybe you can relate, every morning begins with an argument with yourself over whether or not you actually need to get out of bed and "human" for the day. What difference does it make anyhow? Nothing changes. Doing the same thing day in and day out, might as well just give in and give up. Sound familiar?

Aren’t our brains are lovely, evil things?! They taunt us much more than encourage us most of the time. So why the daily argument? Having this argument every day instead of just giving up and giving in, is because no matter how defeated you feel, no matter how much pain you’re in, is that getting out there and doing ‘something’ makes a difference!

Amelia: “ I've felt the difference between missing a few days at the gym and just not going at all for months at a time. While I might feel like a failure for missing a week's worth of gym time. If I decide to not go back, that would be resigning myself to the fate of failing.”

Carrie: “ As much as its not in my top 10 things to do, exercise NEVER FAILS to make me feel better about myself, and I would prefer to like myself for trying, rather than hate myself for stagnating.”

You might not hit your goals if you try, but you definitely won't if you don't try at all. But what about when you are not able? What do we do when we hurt or when we're sick? What do we do when we just can't physically do it, for whatever reason?

The biggest answer here is: take care of yourself and don’t beat yourself up for doing so. How are you going to get back to a steady gym routine if you can't feel better in the first place?

Amelia: “ I struggle with this so much, it's kind of ridiculous but I know I'm not alone in this. For me, a big part of the struggle is that I thrive on routine and when I break that routine for more than a day or so, I find it a mental struggle to get back into it. Because of this, I am reticent to miss any days in my routine for fear of falling into what I call "my hole", where I end up losing all drive to function on a daily basis. Now here's the real mind fuck: sometimes this hesitance is a good thing, and other times it's a very bad thing. On days where it's a good thing, it's because my brain was playing tricks on me saying I didn't feel well, and I should stay home, but because I'm so afraid of losing my drive, I refused and tried. In trying, I inevitably find the lie my brain was telling me and end up have a great time at the gym. On days where it's a bad thing, I am legitimately hurt or sick and I make things worse by attempting to push through it. Now, more often than not, the first option is what happens and that's great. But again, I ask, what do we do when that's not the case?”

Carrie: “ For me it is (and always has been) a mental health issue. I have dealt with depression and anxiety for as long as I can remember, and that really impacts on motivation. Some days its was so bad that the effort to dress or shower was all too much, so how was I able to go out and exercise? This is tough and still gets me some days. My brain will tell me that I am ‘too low’ to exercise , all the while knowing that I feel fantastic afterwards and that anxiety and stress will have dissipated, I have to use that knowledge and tell myself that it is for my own good.”

So what do we do when we hurt or when we're sick? What do we do when we just can't physically do it, for whatever reason? The biggest answer here is: take care of yourself and don't beat yourself up for doing so. How are you going to get back to a steady gym routine if you can't feel better in the first place? I struggle with this so much, it's kind of ridiculous (which,to be completely honest, is why I'm writing this right now. I know I'm not alone in this.) For me, a big part of the struggle is that I thrive on routine and when I break that routine for more than a day or so, I find it a mental struggle to get back into it. Because of this, I am reticent to miss any days in my routine for fear of falling into what I call "my hole", where I end up losing all drive to function on a daily basis. Now here's the real mind fuck: sometimes this hesitance is a good thing, and other times it's a very bad thing. On days where it's a good thing, it's because my brain was playing tricks on me saying I didn't feel well and I should stay home, I'm so afraid of losing my drive, I refuse and try. In trying, I inevitably find the lie my brain was telling me and end up have a great time at the gym. On days where it's a bad thing, I am legitimately hurt or sick and I make things worse by attempting to push through it. Now, more often than not, the first option is what happens and that's great. But again I ask, what do we do when that's not the case?

What do we do when we really are sick or hurt? When it's not just our brains trying to screw with us? When our lovely children, spouse, mother, father or other co-dweller of our abodes so generously brings home that stomach bug that's been passed around?

Well, friends, I have two answers for you today but I warn you that thanks to our tendencies to be our own worst critics, it's likely that neither of them will please you. What I'm hoping for, instead, is that I can help you build that voice of reason within yourself that helps you distinguish whether the healthy thing is to push yourself this time, or giving yourself a rest day or two is what will be healthier in the long run.

Evaluate and Attempt

Do your best to rationally evaluate your symptoms. Could they be psychosomatic? And if they are, is the real reason behind them something that should keep you from physical activity for a day. Some situations that would cause psychosomatic reactions that indicate rest would be better than physical activity are:

• Stress or depression based on acute or extenuating circumstances such as the loss of a loved one, loss of a job or other unexpected happening that can cause you to feel physically unwell.  In this case, pushing yourself to complete some version of exercise could very well be the "straw that broke the camel's back." 
• You're a person that tends to keep piling things on themselves even after your body has let it be known that you need a break. If you know that you're this kind of person, chances are the psychosomatic symptoms are your body's way of sending out a mayday. You can only ignore these signals for so long before those "perceived maladies" become full blow physical issues. There's a reason that stress induced illness is a real thing when it comes to medical diagnoses.

Because this sort of thing can be ambiguous at best and is dependent on our relationship with fitness in general (a.k.a. whether we consider it a chore or a reward), it's best to at least attempt your normal activity. If you find that you are struggling more than you should during a reasonable workout within your skill set, then you might want to cut it short and take the time for yourself instead. In this case, I strongly recommend that you take the minimal necessary time off to avoid falling back into patterns of excuses and avoidance of the gym (or the park or wherever else you might work out.) If you decide to take the day off, instead of loading that time with other things, use it to treat yourself nicely. It doesn't have to be fancy or food related, just something that helps you feel better and you don't get to do as much as you'd like. Good go-to's are things like throwing on a face mask, climbing into a bubble bath and reading or listening to your favorite podcast. Curling up on the couch with your favorite blanket and watching a movie you've been meaning to watch.. Put some work into a hobby based project you've had on the back burner.

Evaluate and Give In

If you're really sick or hurt, even attempting a workout can be detrimental. Can you imagine even five minutes on an elliptical when you're in the throes of the flu? In this situation, your chance of injury during your attempt is incredibly high. Instead of just missing your calorie burn while you recover, you risk the chance of causing additional damage from things like tripping, falling, over extending or
passing out. The thing that my loved ones constantly tell me when I'm trying to decide whether to push myself or not is, "do you want to take a week off to get better or do you want to risk being stuck in bed for a month after you make it worse?" I think this is something we all consider but often dismiss, thinking that we're making excuses for ourselves. Sometimes it's easier to accept the reality when it comes from an external source. This is one of the many reasons that surrounding yourself with supportive people is a must. If you feel like you don't have any, you're wrong. There are always people out there willing to support you.

I will support you.

If you're struggling and feel like you don't have someone to turn to, please feel free to message me via email or social media. I will admit, I am but a simple human, but I will always try my best to give you sound advice when I can and will point you in the direction of someone who might be able to when I can't.

The biggest things I hope you take away from this:

1. Know yourself and your limitations. If you know you're prone to pushing yourself too hard, keep that in mind when evaluating your current circumstances.
2. Missing a few days at the gym is better than being forced to take two or three times as many days off after pushing yourself too far.
3. Accountability is key. If you're worried about breaking your routine and not being able to get back into it, use your resources. Have an accountability partner or someone else in your life who will help push you to get back into it once you're feeling better. If this isn't an option, utilize your social media and digital reminders as an accountability tool.
4. If you end up taking the time away from the gym, don't beat yourself up about it. I'm pretty sure even fitness moguls take time off when they're sick or hurt, and we all know they aren't human!
5. Utilize your support system. If you aren't sure of your own decision making skills when it comes to fitness, ask for opinions from those you trust and feel comfortable with going to. People in online communities count just as much as those that are physically in your life, so don't discount them! 

Physical fitness is immensely important and that means knowing when to push your brain and body when you might not want to and when to give yourself a break from the grind.

*Thanks to Carrie Ross from CR Nutrition: Holistic Nutrition and Bariatric Health Coaching for adding her own insight to this article!