Taking a week off from exercise?

I really love to exercise but recently I've gotten so bored of doing the same cardio machines at the gym and on top of it I feel exhausted and a little sick (got a cough going on here.) I'm wondering if I can still maintain a steady loss this week even if I don't add in my exercise? Of course if I'm not I will probably force myself to the gym and tough through it (since I am going to Florida next month and I'd really like to be down a bit more by then!!) Thanks for any advice!

Replies

  • IsleEsme
    IsleEsme Posts: 175 Member
    I took the last week off just because of my work schedule and lost 1/2 pound. It really depends. If you sit around eating things you shouldn't than it will be obviously bad (I snack when I'm sick!) but if you watch what you eat you will be fine. If you aren't feeling well take the time off. We all need rest and you shouldn't feel bad for taking it. Hope you feel better soon!:flowerforyou:
  • carrieous
    carrieous Posts: 1,024 Member
    why dont you take 3 days off instead
  • blisser99
    blisser99 Posts: 122 Member
    I took a week off recently and it felt nice to relax. I still lost since I was under my calorie goal for the most part. The hard part was getting the motivation to get back into it after not doing it a week. The first workout kicked my butt big time. I would try doing something different rather than nothing at all. Or maybe just not as hard. Little progress is better than none at all. Hope this helps. Good luck.
  • ericcanute
    ericcanute Posts: 95 Member
    I took the last week off just because of my work schedule and lost 1/2 pound. It really depends. If you sit around eating things you shouldn't than it will be obviously bad (I snack when I'm sick!) but if you watch what you eat you will be fine. If you aren't feeling well take the time off. We all need rest and you shouldn't feel bad for taking it. Hope you feel better soon!:flowerforyou:
    Thank you! I probably won't snack since most of my appetite is gone and there is not that much I even could snack on.
    why dont you take 3 days off instead
    Well, if I took three day off the gym wouldn't be open after those three days for the weekend which is usually why I try to take weekends off. However I got sick over the weekend and it isn't gone.
  • lwagnitz
    lwagnitz Posts: 1,321 Member
    Take a couple days off if you're feeling sick. Although sometimes when I am feeling sick I will just go for a relaxing walk so I'm staying loose. Sitting around can sometimes make getting better take longer. Your body may need a rest though. Take a couple days off and see how you feel from there. As long as you are sticking to your calories you will still lose.
  • kdkyzer
    kdkyzer Posts: 137 Member
    Whenever I take a break from my normal workout routine, I find I'm anxious to get back to it...the break does my mind good. Just watch what you eat and take a walk to stay off the couch. Or do some home-based strength and cardio stuff for that week.
  • Schmidty102
    Schmidty102 Posts: 168 Member
    If you take off from exercising, just make sure you cut back on your calorie intake a bit so you can still keep losing. :)
  • TheStephil
    TheStephil Posts: 858 Member
    Weight loss is all about your diet. Exercise creates more of a calorie deficit so if you skip exercise, lower your calorie intake and you'll still see loss. I lost 10 pounds without exercising a minute. I enjoy my exercise now though but use it as a way to get fit, not as a means to lose weight.
  • I had to take a week off recently to look after my grand daughter, I did a couple of short walks with her but other than that nothing. I ate a little more also and on return I was surprised to find I had lost weight and since then I have lost more. I guess my body had become used to same diet, same exercise and got a little kick start. Coming back I found I was straight back into it no problem with motivation.
  • socajam
    socajam Posts: 2,530 Member
    I haven't exercised for the last two weeks as I am suffering with severe allergies, which might take me another two weeks before I am able to exercise. I am making sure that to stay under or within my calorie range.
  • BonaFideUK
    BonaFideUK Posts: 313 Member
    do a deload week. You're still exercising, just taking things a bit lighter and easier.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I do this about once every 8 weeks or so. I don't completely take off, but I don't do anything intense...maybe de-loaded resistance work and some walking. The hard part for me is that I'm used to eating more calories when I workout...so it's hard to cut the more for that week while I'm not working out. I do it just to give my body a nice rest.