This is particularly poignant for me given that I came down with something over the weekend. Often feeling under the weather is a great excuse not to work out, but one that I usually do not take.
Here is my general rule of thumb – if the illness is from the neck up only, it is fine to work out. If the illness affects the chest, lungs or anywhere else below the neck it is best to take a break and rest.
In other words, a head cold is not enough to stop me going to the gym. A chest cold however is. With that in mind I decided to take my rest week a week early, recover and jump in fully refreshed next week.
Other excuses for not going to the gym that just aren’t good enough are
- lethargic – usually a good workout reverses lethargy
- headache – the endorphins produced from a good workout usually reduce or cure a headache
- not enough time – a good workout often stimulates the mind so you are mentally more efficient
- sore from yesterdays workout – an appropriate workout will get blood flowing into the sore tissue and help recovery come more quickly
- I can’t be bothered – really?
Over Long Distances 