Brie and I didn’t work out last week, but it’s on for this week so you will see her again soon! Missed workouts happen in real life, so I’m taking the opportunity to talk with y’all about what to do after you miss a workout – because it’s way more important than the fact that you missed a workout or two.
There are times in life when we have to miss workouts, due to things like:
- Injuries
- Illnesses
- Exhaustion
- Crisis
- Schedules far beyond our control
Since health and fitness are lifelong pursuits, we know these kinds of things will come up during the fitness journey. So don’t worry if you hit a sudden season where workouts are hard to fit into your life – if it’s a short season, it will pass before you know it, and if it’s a long season, you might want to talk to a personal trainer or other fitness professional about how you can fit fitness into your schedule.
There are other times in life when we choose to miss workouts due to:
- Priorities
- Poor planning
- Stress/anxiety
- Hunger
- Couch is a nice place to be
- Seasons
- Vodka
These are the dangerous kinds of workouts to miss if they happen more than once a month! Consistency is key for both getting and staying in shape, so if you get into the habit of skipping your workout “just because”, you should probably pause for a minute or two right here and reconnect with your fitness goals. The choices we make today shape our tomorrows!
After you miss a workout:
- Get back to your workout as soon as you can. (Use common sense and/or doctor’s orders for injuries and illnesses*, but don’t give in to the couch’s magnetism night after night.)
- Let go of the missed workout(s) OR build a time machine. To my knowledge, time only goes forward**, so unless you’ve got a big secret, let it go. What’s passed has passed.
- Keep up your other healthy habits (drinking water, eating well for your body’s needs, sleeping)! These aren’t substitutes for working out, but they are part of a healthy lifestyle.
After all, rest is important…
You need a little bit of rest so that your muscles can rebuild and show you all those results you’ve been earning in your workouts! So a missed training session here and there can help you in the long run by keeping you injury-free and jazzed about getting back to working toward your goals.
There’s no finish line for fitness, so don’t be too hard on yourself if you miss a workout here and there. As long as you don’t quit, progress is coming your way!
