Push or Not Push

Last week, I didn’t get to work out like I wanted.  I got crabby.  I didn’t like it.  And yet, it was the right thing to do.  How do I know?  Here are some ways to decide whether it is time to push or rest.

If you are injured:  It’s time to rest.  When your doctor or physical therapist says go, then you can go for it.  However, you are allowed to get specific with your health professionals.  Often there are things you can do while you are waiting to get back to what you really want to do, say, swimming instead of running or yoga instead of zumba.

If you are stressed out:  It depends.  Exercise is a great stress reliever.  If the issue is really about time, maybe compromise with yourself and do a short workout or at least take a walk.  (And it’s not really about time if you deal with the stress by binge-watching cooking shows.)  Ask yourself what you would tell a friend feeling the way you do.  If you’d tell her to get her shoes laced up, you should, too.

If you are sore:  Light exercise will probably help.  You don’t want to work the same muscle groups with weights two days in a row.  If walking up stairs makes you swear because of the squats you did yesterday, today is a good day to do upper body work.  Also, stretching and rolling are your friends.

If you are tired:  Try.  Showing up counts and a five minute workout is better than no workout.  Once you get moving, you may find you have more energy than you thought.