When to NOT push yourself

There are days when I don't feel like going to the gym, I feel sleepy or lazy or just not 100% when I wake up, but I push myself because I keep the bigger picture in mind. But sometimes there has to be an exception to the "push yourself" rule. I've run in the rain, worked out with bad allergies or a cold, but sometimes a sickness drags us down so much that our body really just needs some extra rest. The past couple days I've been battling a bad cold or sinus infection, can't really tell what it is. It's causing some nasty sinus headaches, sore throat, swollen glands, stuffed nose, fatigue, chills, and cold sweats. Yeah, it's been a ton of fun. Started Saturday night and by Sunday I was a hot mess. I woke up Monday feeling no better and knew working out was not going to be an option, my body literally just didn't have the strength to get up and walk around. I set my alarm for 4:50 this morning planning to only miss that one gym day, but I got up started hacking and sniffling and Steve yelled at me to get back in bed and let my body rest. Thank goodness for him because my crazy butt would have headed to the gym. I laid back down and had to think about the bigger picture, two days missed is better then possibly a week missed because I pushed my body further into fatigue. I should be good to go by tomorrow, but even then a light workout is probably going to be better for me then to jump in and going 1000% to make up for the workouts I lost.

Because my inner progress has not yet caught up with my outer progress I have a hard time dealing with this whole thing. I'm currently struggling with a phobia of gaining weight. It's a pretty ridiculous actually, I mean missing a workout probably isn't going to help me lose anything, but it's not like I'm going to gain 5lbs because of it, as long as my nutrition stays on point. These are the things the inner part of me is struggling with. Nutrition can be tricky when you're sick though. If you're like me you completely lose your appetite. Yesterday I was literally forcing myself to eat, but everything I ate either tasted funny or had no taste at all (because I can't breathe) lol. I was also dealing with an upset stomach for whatever reason, and pretty much only wanted to eat crackers and 7up (so not paleo). Ok so whats my point, 1. rest is important if your body is telling you it needs a break. 2. The mental aspect of losing weight is something that needs to be addressed. Talk out any unhealthy behavior or negative feelings you may be having with someone you trust. Lucky for me my boyfriend keeps me sane and keeps me focused and is honest with me if I'm being ridiculous.

Fitness icon Jamie Eason. This woman is FIT, and she has alot of great info on bodybuilding.com as well as her facebook page.