What happens when you skip a workout?

Are you guilty of hitting the snooze button instead of hitting the gym? Then read on, because skipping workouts might be causing bigger problems than you think! Let's uncover the truth and motivate you to stay committed to your fitness journey.

Skipping workouts sabotages your progress and stalls your fitness goals. You've worked hard to build strength, endurance, and that killer physique. Don't let it slip away!

Imagine the frustration of watching your progress plateau or even reverse. The gains you've achieved start to fade, and all that hard work feels wasted.

Consistency is key! Regular exercise keeps your muscles strong, boosts metabolism, and helps you maintain a healthy weight. Plus, it releases those fabulous endorphins that leave you feeling on top of the world!

Skipping workouts can have a snowball effect… it starts with hitting the snooze button 1 time. No big deal, right? You’ll just get a workout in tomorrow instead.

But when you make that compromise once, it starts to become easier and easier to make that same compromise in the future… and then getting a workout in tomorrow, becomes next week, becomes next month, and before you know it, it’s been 6 months since you’ve hit the gym.

And here’s what happens:

• Within the first week, you lose endurance, and your heart rate may be higher when you’re active. You might find yourself huffing and puffing when you do your next cardio workout, and it’ll take a few workouts to get your cardio fitness back.
• Within the first couple weeks, you start to lose strength and your muscles start to shrink in size, which can lead to weight gain.
• During the next few months, you can lose even MORE cardio endurance and strength — and you will notice your energy level dropping, too, which can lead to being even less active.
• Over the long run, this can set you up for all the ailments and diseases that are linked with low activity levels including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, several types of cancer, and obesity.
• Plus it can affect your mood, your sleep, your mobility, and so much more!

So, what do you do instead of skipping workouts?

1. Make a realistic plan. Setting appropriate expectations helps us to succeed in accomplishing our goals. Sit down and take a look at your schedule for next week. Realistically, how many times can you fit in a workout?

If it’s 2, then plan for 2. If it’s 4, then plan for 4. If it’s 2 and you plan for 4 thinking that something in your schedule will shift in your favor, then you’re only setting yourself up for failure, because we all know that shifts in our schedule usually work against our favor.

Now schedule those workouts in your calendar and treat them like you would your kids baseball practice or an important meeting with your boss. You wouldn’t skip either of those things, so don’t skip your workouts either, they are just as important for your own physical and mental health.

2. If you’ve planned your workouts and legit can’t squeeze in your workout because something important came up, do some intentional movement anyway.

Go for a walk, crank out some squats and push-ups, have a dance party in the kitchen, flow through some sun salutations… basically get in some intentional movement, even if it’s just for 5-10 minutes.

3. But on days you don’t “feel like it” - keep the promises you make to yourself. These are the days you probably need it the most. Just show up and go for a few minutes.

Feeling unmotivated? Then take action! Motivation doesn’t always show up first. But rather, it is taking action that leads to motivation. So just get up and go! Or text someone who can provide some accountability, like a friend or fitness coach.

Doing things when you “don’t feel like it” will reinforce your commitment to yourself and your goals, and it’ll help you build more self-confidence and bulletproof habits.

It’ll also protect you from that awful feeling that you’re back to square one when you start working out again.

4. And of course, listen to your body. If you don’t feel well take the rest you need.

Don't let the benefits of consistent exercise slip through your fingers! Think twice before hitting that snooze button. Stay committed and dedicated to your fitness routine. You've got this!