Regular exercise will become an important part of your medical weight loss plan, so you might wonder why we would advise you to skip a workout. Yes, it good to stick to a workout routine, and we definitely urge you not to procrastinate about it. But that doesn’t mean there are never good reasons to skip a workout. Sometimes exercise could be unsafe and increase your risk of injury.
If any of these situations affect you, it’s probably best to take a rest day.
You’ve suffered an injury. Seek medical attention if you’re injured, so that you don’t risk making the problem worse. And until you get a doctor’s recommendation, it’s best to hold off on exercise or only engage in a workout that doesn’t strain the injury. The last thing you want is to end up sidelined for weeks.
You have a fever. Some people feel okay exercising when they have a mild cold (although, please, do it outside so that you don’t spread a virus around your gym). But any time you have a fever, it’s time to stop and let your body rest for a day or two.
You’re suffering from chronic sleep problems. Most of us can power through a workout if we just didn’t sleep well last night. But if you’re enduring chronic, severe sleep deprivation for any reason, exercising when you’re exhausted could lead to injury or further stress your body. Take a rest day, and address the causes of your insomnia so that you can get back onto a healthy schedule.
You don’t want to miss something important. Generally speaking, we would urge you to reschedule workouts, rather than cancel them, when a scheduling conflict occurs. But certain life events offer a reasonable excuse to skip your workout that day.
You need a rest day. If you’ve exercised for six days in a row and you’re feeling sore, taking a rest day is a good idea. Your muscles need time to recuperate.
Just don’t skip workouts too often, because you need to burn calories in order to support your medical weight loss plan. If you’re experiencing problems with your schedule or other complications, let’s discuss the situation at your next checkup.
