We give ourselves excuses not to go to the gym all the time, and now there might be good reason behind some of those cop-outs.


On certain days, pushing yourself to exertion might do you more harm than good.


Here are all of the guilt-free reasons you should not work out and healthy alternatives to do instead.




You're Sleep-Deprived

If you haven't been getting your typical six to eight hours of sleep, then your body hasn't been able to recover and reset itself.


Forcing a workout when you're sleep-deprived will not only lead to injury, but also, it might work you into a cold.


Try going to bed early that night or hitting the snooze button the next morning.


You can work out later in the day, and your body will have more energy to put into that activity.  


You Have Prior Engagements

It's easy to skip the gym for social opportunities, but some plans are worth the swap.


If you have friends in town that you rarely get to see, then it might give you some healthy endorphins to just have girl time.

Try to turn the plan into something active like shopping around the city or taking a hike. If your friends are set on dinner, then order healthy and skip the wine. You'll be happier in the morning.



Your Mind Is Elsewhere

When you get home and still have work to finish, your focus might not be there.


To buy time and reduce stress, do something effective where you can multitask, like speed-walking or indoor cycling. Bring your phone with you and catch up on emails to lighten the load of things on your to-do list.



You Feel a Cold Coming On

When you feel that sneeze lingering around all day, it's a good sign you could have the beginning stages of a cold.


Being active will help strengthen your immunity, but you might not want to take that killer boot camp class you've been enrolled in.


Try to load up on cold-fighting vitamins, and steer clear of sugar, which can further weaken your immune system. Doing something slow-paced like a yoga meditation class may help you feel better without overexerting yourself.



You're battling an Injury

For the fitness fanatic, it can be really frustrating to wait out an injury, but be patient.


Pain is your body's way of saying something isn't right.

If you jump back into the gym before you're ready, then you could permanently hurt yourself and decrease chances of recovery.


A good idea when you're injured is to do something low-impact that doesn't affect the area directly.

For instance, if you have a sprained ankle, go for an abs workout.




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