4 Great Reasons You Should Stop Exercising

If you have been reading our blogs for any time at all, I’m sure this title threw you for a loop. Brian and I both love to exercise, we love to teach others how to exercise, and quite frankly, we do everything we can to motivate anyone we meet to get healthy movement into their daily routines.

So why in the world would I give you reasons to stop? Well, there’s a time a place for everything I guess. This time, I’m going to review some of the very common reasons that you have my full permission, and support to put exercise on hold.

Reason #1: You’re injured.

When your body is injured, you’ve gone through surgery, or even childbirth, your primary focus needs to be rest and recovery. This is not the time to “push through the pain.” Depending on the injury, your Dr. will suggest a certain amount of time off, and then a slow return with gradual modifications until you are back to your new normal. Don’t rush this process, listen to your body, and know that once you do start back, you won’t be right where you left off. It will take time, consistency, and maybe even physical therapy to get your body back.

Reason #2: You’re sick.

A good rule of thumb, if you are suffering from chest congestion, hacking cough, upset stomach, fever, extreme fatigue, or widespread muscle aches, take time off to recover. You can still keep healthy circulation if you feel up to it by doing something like going for a walk, but nothing high intensity or in community settings where you can spread illness. Listen to your body, if you feel miserable, take a break! Of course, always check with your Dr as your specific health condition may require different protocol.

Reason #3: You’re not medically cleared.

Everyone, children and adults, should have a physical/check-up at least yearly. This is a great way to catch anything that may be abnormal while still in early stages, rather than going for years at a time without any “system checks” along the way. If you have not had a check up, please get that done before starting a new exercise program. This can prevent serious injuries as well as identify any areas that need to be focused on when starting your program. Depending on your goals, and health condition, the style of training, and dietary guidelines can vary quite a bit. The last thing you want to do is sabotage your efforts by choosing the wrong program or style when another would be better for your body.

Reason #4: You only see failure, no joy in the journey.

So many people start exercising simply for the goal of weight loss. (While exercise is one method to weight loss, it by far is not the only method, and not even the best method, nutrition programming is #1 for weight loss.)

For those who are exercising to lose weight, get a specific physique, get a boyfriend, get a girlfriend, get a promotion at work, get attention, please a family member or friend who keeps nagging, this can be a very negative experience driving you to only focus on failure.

This negative focus can be very self-defeating and miserable for all involved. Take a short break with a specific time frame so it doesn’t become an eternity. Then spend some time getting re-focused on what fitness is all about.

Fitness is about getting well and caring for your body so that you can have the freedom of health for your entire journey of life.

It’s not to please others, to look a certain way, or to get a soul-mate. By coming to terms with what fitness is all about, you can begin to love the journey of health and caring for your whole body.

Most likely all the other things will naturally fall in place without you even thinking about it. This approach will have you focused on the daily wins of the pursuit of “healthy” instead of the daily groans of not losing the weight fast enough, not getting the guy/girl, not getting the promotion, not getting the attention, etc.

So there you have it. I give you permission to stop exercising, for a period of time, while you work through the list above if you fall into any of these categories. Exercise is a gift, and a celebration of healthy movement. I want to impress upon you to seek the opportunity you have, with the body you have been blessed with, to enjoy the journey!

Focus on the lifestyle basics, eat real food, enjoy healthy movements, create new habits, and enjoy living a healthy and joyful life.

If you need help understanding how to do this, schedule a consult with me or Brian to coach you along the way.