Why You Shouldn’t Feel Guilty About Skipping a Day of Exercise
If you have any anxieties about what exercise means to you, you may spiral into worry or guilt: Am I a slacker? Am I losing all my gains? Of course you’re not! A day off doesn’t define who you are. Sometimes you need a day off, but you take one anyway
One day doesn’t matter
Tomorrow is a new day, so don’t fall into the trap of thinking you’ve ruined your whole week or your whole training program. Either skip the day or make it up tomorrow, whichever will make the path easier for you going forward.
Problem-solve for next time
Why did you take this rest day, anyway?
- Maybe you need a more balanced exercise program that doesn’t leave you feeling worn down
- If you dread a certain workout, maybe that’s a sign that you need to change something-either the workout, or your mindset
- Just a time management issue?
Consider your overall plan
If you feel guilty about missing one day because to you it’s a symbol of other things going on in your life, zoom out and see what you can do about fixing those other things
- Missing one day of a workout can become its own trivial problem, unconnected to the problems that are actually stressing you out
Rest is useful
A well-designed program will usually have at least one rest day each week.
- If you took three rest days this week rather than two, it’s not like all the rest of your hard work went to waste. Your body will put that rest to good use, anyway.
Focus on consistency
In the long run, consistency will matter most
- Decide how and when you will get back on that horse
- Plan out your schedule for tomorrow and next week and make sure you’ll be able to make those next sessions
- If you’ve been hitting all your workouts for weeks on end, and this week you have to miss one, you are still the same person