Afraid of missing a day at the gym - falling off the wagon?

I don't go to the gym because it's a drive and pretty expensive but maybe later in my journey. But, I do worry about taking a day off from any exercise. I know I skipped 30 ds on Sunday and I really had to force myself to get up yesterday morning to do it.

Exactly what im feeling today! Wanted to post but decided against it..
Iv never been a big fan of working out, i did it about once every six months if that, but since joining MFP iv caught the bug, but today i know iv done too much recently and need to give myself a break, but was terrified if i go over i wont get back onit when i feel up to it. I guess i need to man up because as you said its in my head and WIll not happen! x

Your muscles build at rest not at the gym - be sure to get at least one rest day. The only times I've fallen off the wagon are when other fitness goals have been more important than another. I usually slack off strength training right before a race or competition, sometimes it takes me a while to start back up.

You need a schedule with rest days .. If you over wiork yourself you will tire out and quit.. I excerise four days at te gym and one day at home I rest two days and have lost 28 pounds in three months... Dont over do it.......hang in there.

i could not agree any more!! if you make a schedule with rest and stick to it the weight will come off steadily (of course w/ correct food choices)

You won't fall the wagon. Recently I hurt my foot and couldn't exercise for 2 weeks. After it healed, I "DRAGGED" myself to the gym, hit the treadmill and ran 3 miles! Like it was nothing! Now I'm all amped up keep going. Unless you're training for a triathalon/marathon, you should only go 5 or maybe 6 days a week. But on those rest days, get out and do something like a long walk, a little jog around the block. Something active to get your blood pumping!! Doctors say "30 minutes of activity EVERY DAY"

Good luck, Mike

I used to feel that way but then I got burned out... and now I'm like I need a rest.

I try to workout at least 3 days a week.. if not more. Two on my own and one with my trainer.. and if I happen to squeeze a 4th day in there, then I'm happy.

I know exactly how you feel, if I miss more than a day I think OMG, I can feel myself getting fatter! :-) LOL. I know, I know it's in my head and I don't like to take a day off but I know we do need at least one day of rest. I try not to let it control me, but it can become somewhat of an obsession. If you still feel the need to do something on your day off, try going for a walk- something easy but still makes you feel as if youve done something. And I stick with my diet on my days off, although I do have a refeed (cheat) day one day a week too, but usually do that on the days I lift.

You MUST take rest days. 65% of people working out in the gym are overtrained. And overtraining leads to chronic fatique syndrome, or constant plateaus in your fitness gains. The rest is what heals you and enables you to come back stronger and execute your workouts more effectively.

And you cannot go by how you feel. Many people are so used to being in a state of overtraining that they don't know any better,a dn don't feel anything. So listen to your body. It will give you the indications you need to manage it better.

Take your morning resting heart rate before getting out of bed. Take it for 3-5 mornings and get an average. Then use that as your baseline. Take in after that every other morning, or after a really hard workout day. If its elevated above normal, your body probably did not recover from the workout from the day before. So you don;t have to necessarily skip that day, just keep the intensity a bit lower. But if you see a few days in a row of elevated hr, you may be well on your way to being overtrained. And your body will not respond as it would if you are rested. Also, you can sometime see an illness (cold, flu) coming on before you feel it when your MRHR is elevated. Its a great tool. Your heart gives your body a voice and you just have to listen to it.

Lastly, vary your intensities.....there are a ton of people who take spinning classes for example and they go hard every class. You have to vary your intensities. Tour de France riders don't go super hard everyday like many people spinning do. If you don't want to take a day off, make it an active rest day....go for a walk....do something light, and adjust your eating habits that day.........

But not taking rest days is just not smart!