Are There Times You Shouldn’t Hit the Gym?

There are tons of excuses for not hitting the gym, and you've probably heard them or used them, but when is it actually okay not to work out?

• When you're injured. If you've been hurt and your injury doesn't start getting better in a few days, or it feels worse during or right after your workout, you should plan on shutting things down for a few days and also call your doctor.
• When you're sick. Some people think it's perfectly fine to exercise with a head cold, but you really shouldn't. Your body has only so much energy, and anything you give to exercise you take away from your immune system.
• When you have real obligations. If you have to pick between your kid's award ceremony and working out and can't decide, I've got a news flash for you: your priorities are out of whack. Exercise to live, don't live to exercise.
• When you're really fatigued. Everyone hates getting up early to head to the gym, but if you have unexplained cold symptoms, have had a few bad workouts in a row, or just can't stop hitting snooze, you might be pushing yourself too far. Give yourself a little break.
• When you're really sore. Soreness doesn't necessarily happen right away when you exercise- it can actually accumulate over successive workouts. If you feel way more sore than you should after a basic workout, your muscles need time to recover and repair themselves.
• When it's a rest day. You have to build "off days" into your schedule. Muscle growth happens after exercise, when your body repairs the damage you've intentionally done. If you never take a day off, you'll never give your body a chance to do those repairs.