The hardest part for me is getting out the door. There have been a number of days I get up, put on my workout clothes, and then never make it out the door. As I’ve mentioned, what I really want to be doing is sitting and drinking coffee. So, sometimes, if I’m not feeling as motivated to exercise, I have to use the coffee as my “carrot” to get myself going.
This morning was 40 minutes on the ARC Trainer + 15 minutes cycling.
As to working out when under the weather, here’s my take. If I have a fever, no way. I want all my body’s resources focused on kicking the fever. Less than a fever, no hard and fast rule. How bad do I feel, do I have the physical and mental energy, what will make me feel good. Working out is a stressor. Is your body up to handling the additional stress. I’m in this for the long run. Missing a day or two due to illness will not derail me but pushing through exhausting illness may just prolong my recovery. If I do work out, I reduce the intensity and volume while I am still recovering.
@abasket , the added sugar makes more sense. I couldn’t figure out how you came up 65. I count added sugar.
I don’t track my exercise but I think the difference for me is I have a regimented schedule of 3 classes a week that I always attend. I try to get in a couple of more days at the gym and those are easier to skip since I don’t have a routine. The days I don’t go to the gym I have several different options for things I can do at home. Where I have gotten lazy is adding on more time time before or after my class. I used to do a 30 minute run or 30 minutes on the bike or elliptical and some time in the weight room, now some days I just go to class and leave.
My favorite trainer moved and I am adjusting to a new instructor for a strength class. In the first few classes (she started teaching this class in January) she said we should make fitness goals. To think about where we are now and to think about where we want to be in 3 months. She encouraged us to think about a goal of increasing our weights. Change is hard but I am already seeing a difference in several of the women who exercise with me. Where they already are choosing the next weight up.
I’m a wimp and hate prolonging illness so if I have any thought that exercising may prolong my illness, I will simply skip.
Perhaps I will try exercising lightly who’ll mildly ill instead of stopping completely. My friends do.
Our neighborhood is full of dog walkers and some joggers and walkers at all hours, day and night.
I probably could get someone to walk with—sadly H is having knee issues that are causing ankle, foot and other pain. 
At least we can both row!
Unless I’m feeling that I’m on my “deathbed,” I’m working out. I’ll probably limit activities and scale my workout, like no handstands 
, but otherwise I’m like the others. I’m selfish about my workout time.
@Midwest67 I like that, so I’m stealng it.
Sugar is the enemy, so I would limit your fruit intake as well.
Ahh, breakfast, my favorite meal of the day. My “go to” each day is ground turkey, egg whites, spinach, yellow and green zucchini/squash (I have no idea how to tell the difference), onions, bell peppers, salsa and hot sauce. I look forward to that meal everyday.
I grew up watching Popeye, so I follow Popeye’s diet strategy of “strong to the finish, because I eat my spinach.”
Years ago, I was working two jobs, had kids at home and one of the jobs I was on my feet. I was complaining to my sister in law about how I was tired and wasn’t doing any exercise.
She told me I just had to carve out the time and that if I got out there, after a while I would get “used” to the exercise and would find that I did have the time and energy to get a workout in.
So I went home and did what she suggested. And darn it all, it worked. I had so much more energy in my everyday life. It was like a switch turned on.
About exercise, I think it’s one of those lies we tell ourselves. I don’t like to exercise, I never want to do it. I never get that high they say.
That’s ok, but I think that we need to tell ourselves. Let me do something I may not be great at (Because we are never great at something at first, it takes time and practice) but I’m getting out there. I was terrible at sports, I was clumsy and unathletic My sister is the athletic one, she told me so!
I needed to get past all of that junk from my past. I needed to do stuff that I like instead of stuff I think I should do. I needed to get out of my head.
I am not good at XC skiing, I was really bad at first. But I had someone at a shop tell me that I could do it and if I hated it, he would buy my skis back. I liked it but I stunk. But I kept going, I was outside and I was getting better. Then I signed up for a lesson, oh my gosh, I got so much better. I took another lesson and was able to trade in my beginner skis for advanced beginner skis 
The same thing with golf, you just don’t magically get better. It takes time and over the years I found a friend to go to lessons with. I bought new clubs and I got better. Not in days but years.
This is getting long. But fitness is a journey that takes time. One day, you might say to yourself, this isn’t bad.
If we could “pin” posts to the top of a thread to suggest importance and to keep in mind first and foremost, ^^^^ @deb922 post should be pinned.
Excellent post.
+1 for @deb922 ‘s post! So much I can relate to.
I have heard above the neck illness (ie stuffy nose), run, below the neck (ie sore throat and lungs), don’t. That doesn’t take into account fever. I wouldn’t run with a fever.
Running does help me with a stuffy nose.
Amen @deb922
I was so relieved to hear one of the podcast hosts say he doesn’t really like weight training & even hates it at times!
Yet, despite his negative feelings, he is super strong and does not miss his training sessions. He may not like doing it, but he loves what it does for him.
He describes it as the “taking your medicine” approach.
In contrast, his wife loves weight training, and also loves to compete. She is driven, in part, by her enjoyment of it & competitive nature.
It was a lightbulb moment for me! Huh. Right, I don’t have to wait to be in love with an activity or wait to find something super fun. I can just do it. Like flossing my teeth, lol.
I am definitely in the “take your medicine” camp!
When it comes to illness, I’ll exercise if it’s nasal congestion, but not if it involves lungs/coughing. I know my body well enough at this point to know that if I push myself with lung congestion I’ll end up with bronchitis. I’d rather skip exercising for a few days.
Yea, because I have pre-existing health issues, I tend to err on the side of caution and when in doubt, I will skip working out, and hope it shortens any illness.
I Have read of that above the neck with no fever cutoff in helping decide. Agree that doing an easy day—more stretching etc might be safer (not to push it).
I ended up doing a pokier 5 miles and came home feeling better than I started.
Reminds of the classic line from Elle Woods in Legally Blonde:
:lol:
On illness: I’ve been sick a couple of times this year and asked the workout question to Dr. Google, and the consensus was, head cold, fine; but chest congestion and/or fever, no – get rest. However, because I work out at a big open gym, I opted not go in with a mild head cold that lasted 10 days, as long as I had runny nose, sneezing, hacking, sore throat – because I don’t want to spread my germs around, nor do I want to give off the appearance of spreading germs.
I think the gym is a rather dirty germy place as it is – all those people sweating with their hands all over the equipment. Yes, people wipe things down and I can bring my own wipes… but I really don’t thing it does much good.
Same deal with yoga class - there the studio is very clean and airy, but it is still being in an enclosed room with a 12-20 other people for an hour or so.
I will go on my daily walk unless I’m running a fever or absolutely feel like I can’t move – but that’s fairly short and I stay away from other people.
As for going to the gym – I find it is hugely helpful for my back & neck pain to do an upper body strength workout, even better than yoga. So when I feel kind of sore or achy, I really look forward to doing all the machines-- because I do feel better right away. (Obviously the type of back pain I have is tied to poor posture and a sedentary lifestyle) But that is one more reason that I go in the afternoons – it’s not a choice between gym vs. cozy bed, it’s a choice between gym & sitting at the computer or doing housework. Also I’m now in a mostly every-other-day gym routine which seems to help me maintain motivation, because basically I’m always giving myself a day of rest between gym visits.
With inspiration from this thread I did 20 minutes on the track after Pilates. I find it hard to not at least jog part of the time.
If my cold is in the first few days I stay home from the gym in order to keep my germs to myself. I take my own mat to Pilates and the gym so when I’m doing exercises on the mat I’m not putting my face near other people’s germs. I don’t clean the hand weights but I do clean the machines before and after I work out. I also try to wash my hands with warm soapy water when I’m done working out.
For those with hip or knee pain I strongly suggest finding a good PT who is interested in figuring out why you’re having pain. I have had two great ones who have been much more helpful than the orthopedist. One thing that helps me is to print out the exercises and take them to the gym and do them in front of the big mirror. Also helpful is to have the PT video you on your phone doing the exercises correctly.
For those in running groups, do you find that your fellow runners that have experienced some pain in the hips, ankles or knees run with Hoka running shoes? That’s what I’ve heard by word of mouth. I was going to suggest to those who experience some discomfort while running may want to try Hoka’s, but I’d defer runners here like @MomofWildChild and @FallGirl and hikers like @Midwest67 .
I don’t have pain when running, other than being sore, and tried Hoka’s. But the shoes made me feel like I had two large marshmallows under my feet though I’ve heard that they alleviate some or all of the pain when running, when it’s not a more serious issue of course.
I presently love my Topo’s.
We do have some people in the hiking club who hike in Hokas & love them.
I hike in Altra Lone Peak 3.5 trail runners.
I reserve my Merrell Moab hiking boots for winter weather.
Maybe people can share tips on how many frogs they had to kiss before finding a fantastic PT?
@sushiritto I don’t consider myself a runner but I do wear Hokas as do a lot of people I know. Hoka makes a lot of different models, some are more marshmallow like others not so much. I’ve tried several models and some I like and others didn’t work for me. I live near the Hoka showcase store so I can easily go try on all the styles.