Why I workout even when all I want is to take a nap
This past Tuesday was a rough day for me. I had just gotten back from Boston the night before, coming in around midnight. Though it was only a day trip, it was definitely long. And though I did have an amazing time, I was completely burnt out.
I chose to come home on the later bus, fully aware that I worked both jobs the next day. I had done it before no problem. But I had been facing some serious exhaustion over the past several days, and this certainly didn’t help that.
My alarm went off just a little before 7am on that very gloomy Tuesday morning. I immediately hit the snooze button. Fine, I’ll admit I may have hit it more than once. I awoke feeling like a complete zombie. I rolled over, pressing half my face into my pillow, one eye glaring at the glowing numbers on my alarm clock. My eyes fought to stay open. Finally feeling enough consciousness to bat my eyes several times, it all started coming back to me. I remembered what day it was and that I had a full list of things to get done. I almost immediately debated calling out sick.
The day’s tasks honestly only included a few things: work and going to the gym. What I had written in my planner, back when I felt determined and not nearly as exhausted, was that I would work my first job at the office until noon and then go right to the gym to get in a good chest and back workout with a little bit of cardio. I would then come home, shower, make my food, and then head to my other job at the restaurant.
I managed to roll into work on time. I dragged my feet through the front door and slumped into my chair. I sat at my desk, eyes glazing over as I logged information into an Excel spreadsheet. It was a simple task of imputting names and emails, nothing too complicated that my brain couldn’t handle. Only I don’t think it was even able to handle that. I was misspelling words left and right that I didn’t even realize until I looked things back over and noticed that the name “Karen” had a “g” added to the end of it. Her name was now “kareng”. How that even happened I don’t know. But I made several typos just like it. I clearly needed a nap, or a mega cup of coffee.
In that moment I started trying to reason with myself about whether or not I really should go to the gym as planned. Figured maybe a nap would be better. After all, I didn’t want to go to the gym and start working out then accidentally drop a weight on myself or something terrible like that. It’s funny how your brain will sometimes come up with ridiculous scenarios if you decide you don’t want to do something, just to convince yourself not to.
But it made sense. I was clearly exhausted, so skipping the gym to go home and nap seemed like a solid decision. Right?
Well, this may come as a surprise, but exercising can actually be a better way to re-boost your energy levels. I know that’s not what any of us want to hear when we’re feeling sluggish, and napping seems so much nicer than having to actually go out and be active. But it’s been proven in different studies that those who exercise regularly have higher energy levels than those who don’t.
If you don’t want to hear it from me, you can refer to this WebMD article. If you want to read something a little more recent that also explains the why, you can look here.
I had myself almost 75% convinced that I was going to skip working out and just let myself rest, but I felt incredibly conflicted. I hadn’t worked out the day before AND I did a lot of eating and drinking of boozy beverages. I even put a poll up on my Instagram story to see what other people thought I should do (I know, ridiculous). It took talking to my coworker for me to finally come up with a decision.
With the combined forces of some serious willpower, motivation from my coworker, and a dash (it was definitely more than a dash) of pre-workout, I successfully dragged my butt to the gym. I knew that doing at least a little bit of something was always better than doing nothing at all. And I knew deep down I’d regret skipping.
I did, however, make some changes to the my workout from what I had originally planned for that day. I passed on using weights and opted for a cardio day instead, allowing me to really sweat out all the toxins from the day before. And you know what? Even after 40 minutes of the stair master and treadmill work, I felt more energized than I did the entire day.
Am I surprised by this? Not really. Why? Because I’ve gone through this before. There have been countless times that I’ve felt fatigued or just plain lazy and really didn’t feel like working out. But even then, I always know that I’ll feel good after completing a workout. The only challenge is getting myself to show up. But once I’ve got my workout clothes on, hair pinned back, and pre-workout down, I know I’m ready to get it done. Sometimes you just gotta give that initial push to get the ball rolling.
So, what is the takeaway of this post? Next time you find yourself reaching for that second (or third) cup of coffee, or dying for a nap, try adding a little exercise into your day instead. I’m not saying you have to go hard at the gym or go for a run, but maybe a walk. Maybe even give yoga a try. I’ve shared some of my favorite yogis to follow, as a guest blogger, here. The first instructor listed is great for beginners, taking things slow and walking you though each routine step-by-step. But they’re all awesome to follow as intermediate yogis as well.
There’s so much more to exercise than being super fit and having abs or lifting weights. It’s about being healthy and becoming your happiest and best self. There are so many incredible benefits that come with being active regularly. I’d say it’s well worth giving it a try. And who knows, you just might fall in love with it.
Until next time my friends,
Thanks for reading!