10 Reasons It's Ok to Take a Week Off Sometimes

I’m basically dying. My caffeine intake has increased so much over the last few weeks (couple months?) that my left eye twitches so much I look like I’m constantly impersonating Mr. DeMartino.

I hit the gym hard on Sunday and did all my deadlifts with 90 pounds, squats with 30 pound dumbbells per arm for as long as I could before switching to 25. Then this week happened and honestly I just gave up. I haven’t had the same healthy food I usually have. I didn’t have gym clothes ready and have been too busy with appointments to go to the gym on my lunch. And I’ve been so busy working in the evenings after Booboo goes to bed that I haven’t run on the treadmill at all. The cool thing is that I really don’t feel bad about this.

There are lots of reasons why it’s an awesome idea to take a week off now and then.

Mental health is a thing and it’s super important. Even if working out is a de-stressor for you, it’s okay to lighten your load by being a little lazy once and a while.
Your body can actually get stronger if you occasionally give it time to rest and repair.
You will be less likely to get injured. Don’t be overtraining!
Sleep, glorious, glorious sleep.
It’s better to take time off to recharge and then hit it hard when you come back than it is to try and force yourself to keep going when you know you’re phoning it in.
It gives you some time to get organized and ready for the next phase.
Mmm heating pad.
Resting up before an event can help you perform better—Frostbite Marathon Relay is Sunday!
Gives you a chance to wash all of your stinky activewear and find all the socks that have gotten lost.
Give you time to work on your website that you messed up when you updated the theme without realizing that it would change all of your settings back to default. WOOPS! This website got a lot more pink.

So that’s why it’s a good idea to take some time off. Don’t feel bad about it. Enjoy it! Get excited for the next phase. If you don’t have any ideas of what to do next, make a race calendar or look up strength training plans to try. Try something new.

I’m thinking about signing Wally up soon for some gymnastics or soccer groups that get parents involved and I’d love to work in a family workout starting this spring. That makes me excited, plus I think Sunday will be my kickoff for half marathon season because I gotta get more weekday runs in to be ready to pace for the Gazelle Girl Half!

Next up will be my recap of how the Frostbite Marathon Relay went. I’m most looking forward to the running, the friends, the beer, and the chili. That’s pretty much everything.