Dear Gym,
We were on a break!
Sincerely,
Ross Geller Khushboo
Nothing like a little F.R.I.E.N.D.S flashback to start off a post! After I hit publish, I am going to faceplant my bed.  After 3 nights of partying for a friend’s wedding, I am beyond shattered. Fortunately it’s the kind of exhaustion which is absolutely worth it so I can’t really complain!  In between the craziness, my weekend also involved something I haven’t done in a looong time: A workout hiatus
Ever heard about diseconomies of scale?  If not, allow my inner geek to enlighten you:
Beyond a certain point, each additional unit of output brings an increase in overall costs. In workout terms, that is exactly what happened to me over the past few weeks: each workout left me feeling more mentally drained that energized.  Sure I left the gym with an endorphin high, but my workouts became more of a chore and something I did out of habit. If anything, the costs outweighed the benefits.
Aside from a walk along Marine Drive on Thursday, my only form of exercise these past few days was dancing at the wedding functions…i.e. the best kinda workout. Side note: dancing/walking in heels has got to be more effective than calf raises ;)! Although it did feel slightly weird to not rush about in the morning, I really relished every second of this 5-day gym hiatus. As much as I generally enjoy working out, it felt great to set my alarm an hour later…to not worry about when I’ll fit my workout in…to not wake up feeling sore.
And more than that, I actually feel mentally & physically recharged. I’m glad I took a step back and focused on what my body & mind wanted rather than fight it. I didn’t feel guilty about being “lazy” or worry that it would be hard to get back into it. If anything, I can’t wait to hit the gym tomorrow…and not because I should. Instead it’s because I want to!
How many rest days do you typically take a week?Â
So funny you posted about your hiatus because I kind of took one too. Aside from some walking and very light ellipticalling, I didn’t really work out much over the past five or so days. I did, however, dance my booty off at a wedding reception on Friday night – and you’re right – it’s the BEST workout!
You know that feeling when you take off your trainers after a run…yeah it doesn’t even come close to that relief of taking off your heels after a night out dancing ;)!
These breaks are so needed and I am glad you realized that. I sometimes just need a full stretch of time to recharge and get my body happy again with the workouts I put it through. ps you all look so beautiful!!!!!
Thanks so much for the compliment, Alex! I absolutely agree about sometimes needing a chunk of time off rather than just a day!
I just took a break to! Not from completely working out but my normal routine. It was a good break and I went back feeling completely refreshed!! When your workout becomes a chore you tend to dread it and who wants that? Breaks are GOOD! Enjoy it! xoxo
Whether it’s from a workout or just routine in general, breaks every so often are so necessary…nothing worse than falling into a rut!
Love the wedding pic! Everyone looks so beautiful 😀 And I definitely agree that dancing in heels is amazing for the legs. Who needs to hit the gym when you’re out living life? 😉
I think it’s great that you took a rest when your body needed one. There’s nothing worse than feeling exercise becoming a chore – I had some serious burnout many, many months ago so I quit the hardcore exercise and just started focusing on walking and doing my best to stay active. Best decision ever. I don’t really take rest days because I don’t really have workout days… it’s all about making sure I get enough movement in during the day.
Thanks Amanda! I love your approach to working out…as long as you’re staying active, who cares if it’s in a gym or incorporating it into your lifestyle!
That’s a lovelyyyy group picture! I’m jealous of all the dancing and good times. And yes, dancing in heels is certainly a heck of a workout!
I generally maybe take 1/2 days off working out during the week..but sometimes, it is SO good and SO needed to take a more lengthy break. I agree that you’ll come back much more physically and mentally energized!
Have a great Monday!
Thanks so much :)! After these few days off, I had such a great run this morning….and remembered why I put up with the bad runs :)!
That wedding picture is GORGEOUS! All of you are stunning! I bet it was such a blast 🙂
Taking a break from working out can feel so awesome– I think it ends up making you appreciate going back and getting stronger after some rest! 😀
Thanks so much, Alexandra 😀
You all look amazing in that picture, I LOVE your outfit..SO pretty!! GO with the workout hiatus!! There is nothing wrong with it, trust me I have had my fair share haha. My rest days vary every week..but on average I have maybe 3 a week. Some weeks all 3 days..some weeks NO rest days!! It just depends on my mood!
Thanks so much, Brittany!! I love that you keep it flexible and just listen to your body each week :)!
Good attitude! My uncle always says that those of us who love working out, but yet still push ourselves a little too much with us sometimes, always need to take breaks. Your body will start craving it again. I have to take a hiatus right now beccause I got diagnosed with anemia last week and I am feel so so so horrible!
Ah I’m sorry to hear about your diagnosis, but glad to hear you are being smart about it & resting. Hope you manage to get the anemia under control ASAP :)!
I feel you on the diseconomies of scale. Sometimes your body is so tired that a workout would do more harm than good. I took a little break last week myself, aside from skiing and a Turkey Trot. It was nice to get out of the gym for a few days!
Especially when the gym is part of your daily routine, it’s easy to forget that there are other ways of staying active without being in a formal gym environment. Although I have never skied, I hear it’s quite the workout!
Oh, girl. I can totally relate to this! Earlier in the year I experienced similar burnout–except more severe. The gym became this dreaded and horrid place in my mind, yet I kept making myself go because I “needed to stick to my strength-training plan.” It took a neck injury (too much weightlifting) to stop me in my tracks; I was forced to to take two full weeks off (gasp!). Initially, I was fearful that all my efforts would go down the drain, but the reality was exactly the opposite: I came back stronger than ever. And not only that, but I truly enjoyed the break. Similar to you, I found that granting myself “permission” to sleep later, and to exercise leisurely (walking, dancing etc), was a huge relief–mentally and emotionally. It inspired me to re-evaluate my goals and priorities, and made me realize that I hadn’t been applying the moderate approach to fitness that I so firmly in, to my own life.
You and your girls are glowing in the wedding pic! So pretty, Khushboo! <3 Hugs xoxo
I actually thought of you when I was posting this as I remember you mentioning you were in a fitness funk a while back! Even though it was only for a few days, it definitely made me realise that I don’t need to be so rigid with my workouts…the main thing is staying active even if that means more cardio during some weeks or more weight training on other weeks :)!
Thanks for the compliment, Sara!
Oh lord, I should have listened to my body today. It was my max squat day and I just was NOT feeling it. I usually work out in the mornings but my schedule today meant I had to train in the afternoon. It’s a miserable day in London today and I was just not in a good mood. I usually never go to the gym if I feel like this (let alone during my max lifting week!!) but the guys at work egged me on to go. I was not focusing properly, which meant that I fell flat on my ass in my final set of squats. Oh dear. Very embarrassing! I’m very much looking forward to next week’s deload 😉
If anything, kudos to you for having the mental discipline to actually get yourself to the gym! When I was living in London, it was SO hard to get motivated to go to the gym during the winter…staying indoors on the couch seemed so much more appealing!
You look gorg in that pic!! I took, um, 14 rest days in the past 2 weeks…. Haha. Ironic that you did this post….I just went to the gym for the first time last night in forever! Sometimes I just have too much to do, and the process of working out and showering and doing my hair for work is a super long one, as bad as an excuse as that is! I need to work on making working out more of a priority because it does make me feel a lot better 🙂
Thanks so much Alexis :)! I’m with you about the working out process taking forever sometimes! I may or may not sometimes plan my workouts according to whether I want to wash my hair ;)!
First off: All of you look fantastic in the picture! I’ve always amired the beautiful Indian saris and wished I could wear one myself. The bright colours and sparkling golden embellishments make me think of fairytale princesses :).
So good you took a break from formally working out and simply enjoyed the festivities. I wish I had your attitude, too. Working out is something I do for enjoyment but also to keep myself busy on days when there’s not much going on.
It’s easier to skip a run if I’m at my parents’ and take long walks with my mum. That’d be my favourite kind of leisurely workouts: Relishing time with my best friend in the world, chatting and laughing.
Thank you so much! As glamorous as Indian outfits are, I think my favorite part about them is how comfortable they are! Your favorite kind of workout sounds ideal! Lately I’ve started to really embrace walking as a form of exercise, even better when done with others.
Pingback: My beef with Pinterest | Khushboo's Blog
Pingback: My workout P of A | Khushboo's Blog