7 Reasons To Skip A Workout

By Beth W. Orenstein
Medically reviewed by Lindsey Marcellin, M.D., M.P.H.

Regular exercise provides many health benefits, from improving your mood to decreasing your risk for developing high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer and many other conditions. But when it comes to fitness, more is not always better -- your body needs rest, too. In fact, over-exercising can be just as unhealthy as not getting enough, says Jeannine L. Stuart, Ph.D., president of AREUFIT Health Services in Malvern, Pa.

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Wondering if you're pushing yourself too hard? Here are some signs and symptoms that you may be overtraining and need to take a rest day or two.

• If You're Not Feeling Well

  One of the many benefits of adhering to a fitness program is that it increases your immunity. But you still can catch a cold or get the flu. You may be wondering <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/06/exercise-when-sick_n_1184508.html">if you should still hit the gym</a>. Follow the neck rule to find your answer, says Sheldon Zinberg, M.D., founder of Nifty After Fifty health clubs, based in Grove City, Calif. If your symptoms are below the neck, such as a chest cold and body aches, skip your workout. If your symptoms are above the neck -- runny nose, stuffiness and sneezing -- and you feel up to it, you still can work out if you want.

• If Your Cycle Is Askew

  "It's not uncommon for women who are highly competitive and who train vigorously to experience changes in their menstrual cycles," Stuart says. Over-exercising can cause amenorrhea, the absence of menstruation. But whether you should stop exercising due to missed periods is unclear. Discuss your periods and exercise routine with your doctor, who may recommend decreasing the intensity or length of your workouts. Why? Missing your periods could mean your estrogen levels are too low, putting your at risk for osteoporosis. It's especially important to reassess fitness workouts if you experience amenorrhea during your preteen and teen years, the peak time for bone growth.

• If You're Burned Out

  Usually after a workout you feel awesome, says Joseph Ciccone, DPT, CSCS, associate director of Columbia Orthopaedics Sports Therapy in New York, thanks to a release of feel-good hormones. But if you're exhausted after you've been to the gym, you could be burned out from overtraining, Ciccone says. Skip a few workouts and give your body time to bounce back. "Sometimes it takes a break to re-ignite the fire," he says.

• If Your Sleep Cycle Is Out Of Whack

  If you can't sleep or can't get enough sleep, either case could be a symptom of overtraining. "People think that if you overtrain it improves your ability to sleep, but it can do the opposite," Stuart says. When your sleep patterns are consistently disturbed, it might help to take a few days off. Besides, your muscles grow when you're resting (recovering), not when you're sweating it out at the fitness center.

• If You Have Sore Muscles

  Depending on how sore you are, it might be a good idea to take it easy. If your muscles are only slightly sore, exercise may bring you some relief, though you might want to choose activities that work a different set of muscles than the ones causing you pain. But if you have severe <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/28/sore-muscles-good-bad_n_2552864.html">muscle soreness</a>, skip your workout, says Larry Birnbaum, Ph.D., chairman of exercise physiology at the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minn. When you alter your mechanics to compensate for sore muscles, you can put yourself at greater risk for injury.

• If Your Stomach Is Upset

  Cramps, nausea and diarrhea are all great reasons to skip or scale back on exercise. When you have diarrhea or are throwing up, you could become dehydrated. If you were to exercise, it could accelerate that dehydration. The good news is that most stomach bugs don't last more than a day and you can get back to your fitness routine pretty quickly. Just be sure to drink plenty of fluids to replenish your system.

• If You're Out of Time

  If you're exercising so much that you're missing tons of quality time with family or friends, consider scaling back just one workout a week to make time for your emotional health, too. You won't fall off the exercise wagon if you schedule some downtime into your fitness plan, and it can be a good way to reward yourself for a week of hard workouts. <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/less-stress-more-living/">Relaxation is important</a>, too!

"7 Reasons To Skip A Workout" originally appeared on Everyday Health

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/10/reasons-skip-workout-exercise_n_2646994.html

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