The most important thing to remember about “bad days” at the gym is that everybody has good and bad days at the gym, even trainers! Case in point, a couple weeks ago I went into a workout super excited and pumped; I felt fueled and ready to go. Within five minutes of starting the workout though, I realized that while my brain was ready, my body was simply not. I finished the workout, but left feeling a tad defeated and angry with myself for not living up to my own expectations.
Does this sound like you? Ever have one of those days where performance just isn’t what it normally is? Or maybe you feel more gassed than the last time you tried a workout, especially one of those “go at your own pace” ones? It can be easy to self-criticize and think your fitness progress is slowing, stalled, or even regressing. So, let’s talk about causes for those “bad days” and how to move past them!
Ever heard the adage “even bad days at the gym are still good days?” That’s still true, so even if you had a bad day congratulate yourself for getting off the couch or out of bed and making it to the gym. That’s the first hurdle! But let’s get down the potential causes of bad gym days: sleep, nutrition, water intake, health, stress, and life are a few of the big causes.
· Sleep: We all know quality sleep is crucial to recovery and feeling energized, so if you tossed and turned all night, slept less than you normally do, or changed up your sleeping routine in another way, it might affect your workouts.
· Nutrition: Nutrition is extremely important to your workout performance. It’s easy to eat junk food, fast food, or other quick eats when life is busy or when you don’t have anything healthy prepared but that decision is likely to result in feeling sluggish, quick spikes of energy followed by crashes halfway through your workout, or possibly even gastrointestinal issues. Some of you may also struggle with eating enough between busy days at work and home. Whatever your personal nutrition battles, if you’re not fueling your body properly for what you’re asking it to do either at the gym or in your daily lives, you might feel off and/or have a lack of energy. Oats/oatmeal, bananas, or an apple with nut butter are a couple options for pre-workout meals that will give you both a quick and sustained boost of energy you need to make it through class.
· Water: Same thing goes for water intake. Our bodies are made up of 60% water so as we are working hard in the gym, if we are dehydrated it takes more effort to move blood and oxygen around our bodies, not to mention losing more water from sweating to stay cool! Staying hydrated drastically improves our performance, makes exercise feel easier, and makes it easier for our bodies to work as they are meant to.
· Life: Life throws curveballs at us all the time; maybe that’s a cold, family crisis, extra shifts at work, or any number of other obstacles. Stress, health, and life in general can affect our performance at the gym, derail our nutrition and water intake, sleep, etc. Sure, staying steadfast in the pursuit of our goals despite these obstacles sounds great and might be a goal, but equally important is cutting ourselves some slack when we need it. This doesn’t mean “oh hey I had a bad day at work so I'm going to have a Snickers bar,” but it does mean “hey I had a bad day at work, but now I’m going to do something for me.” That might mean the gym, taking a walk, yoga, hanging with family and/or friends, meditating, or whatever else helps you de-stress.
So, let’s return to the story I shared at the beginning. After that week’s workout, I analyzed what was going on in my life that week, which in my case meant fighting a cold that made breathing harder, and then realized I needed to cut myself some slack. I was still extra nervous going into the next week’s workout because I wanted to prove to myself that last week was a fluke and just a result of the cold. So I stepped it up, did a little more, and pushed a little harder. As a result, I ended up having a great workout and felt like a badass!
What’s the point of all of this? As we go into this new year and make progress on the transformation challenge and other resolutions, we will all have “bad days” at the gym where progress seems to stall or regress. If you’re feeling this way, take a second to reflect on what’s going on that week or how you have been feeling. Maybe the answer is in nutrition, water, stress, illness, etc., or maybe you’re just having an off week (those happen too!). Talk to one of the trainers for tips or to vent if you need it! That’s what we are here for and we will be more than happy to provide advice and encouragement! Either way, don’t let one day (or even multiple days) get you down. Keep coming to the gym, keep moving, and that progress will come! #getfused