Exercise guilt?

CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »

LauraSrock18 wrote: »

Does anybody else struggle with guilt when you can’t get your workouts in for the week?! I’m struggling to workout any more than 3 days a week! I know something is better than nothing but I still Struggle with the “all or nothing” mentality?!

ive slacked off the last 2 months or so so dont feel guilty I know I can still lose without exercise so.

Yep, I don't exercise at all during the winter months, no guilt. I manage my weight by my calorie intake and have for years now. Exercise is not a factor in my weight management plan.

Can you increase the workout time or intensity and really make those three sessions count?

No guilt. Most people have other life obligations and goings on, so my fitness regimen is flexible. Ideally, I would exercise 5x per week, but that sometimes doesn't happen because I have other things going on.

At one point in time I was doing a lot of endurance cycling events and training quite a bit. Things in my life changed to where I couldn't train like that all of the time, so I just had to adjust my fitness regimen to fit with those changes in my life...no biggie.

I'm pretty hit or miss in November, December, and January as my primary exercise modality is cycling and I enjoy being outside on the road and those months are cold and dark in the morning and dark when I get home and I'm lucky to get a ride or two in on a nice weekend. I have an indoor trainer, but I loath using it, but still no guilt...it's actually a nice break and I enjoy the holidays and get going again after the superbowl when the weather starts warming up and it starts staying light out a little longer.

Are you able to move quite a bit during the day, walk/take the steps, etc. I honestly think that moving all day long is better for you.

My mental health, sleep, and productivity suffer when I'm not active so I make it happen, except for when I'm debilitated by my period or very rare occasions when life interferes, and I do not feel guilty about that.

I don't feel guilt, but I do get frustrated.

To be fair to yourself though, there are plenty of 3 day a week workout programs out there. Do a quick google search. And if you get free time aside from those days, add in any accessories, or cardio you want to, or take a guilt free rest day.

Depends. When I know in advance that it's not going to happen (two examples I can think of: spending 2 weeks visiting my parents in Montreal meant I'd have time to take walks, but strength-training wasn't going to happen; had bladder surgery and was medically restricted from lifting for several weeks, then obviously had to start again with lighter weights than I'd been using prior to surgery), there's nothing to feel guilty about. It's out of my control.

And while, in the former case, we can make the case that I could have done body-weight exercises, hefted potato bags, etc., truth is I have a dumbbell routine I like and am comfortable with and with the whole family around including two nephews under the age of seven, let's just say that if I'm working out in my parents' house, interruptions will happen and it's just not the same. In the latter case, there truly was no recourse. I had to heal. End of.

I just did the cardio, knew I was going back to the lifting routine as soon as I could, and reminded myself pointedly that at least one book on strength training mentions that taking a break every so often is a good idea and look, here's life pushing me to take that opportunity! But no guilt there.

The guilt would come if I started giving into the urge to skip the workout because, "I just don't feel like it today. Meh. I'll get back to it tomorrow." And it wouldn't be so much guilt over skipping the workout as guilt over realizing that giving into that attitude has, in the past, been my first step toward undoing all the progress I've made and giving up the new lifestyle.

In essence: If it's within my control and I shirk, I'll feel guilty. If it's out of my hands, not so much.