Adjusting for not feeling well

How do others adjust their workout plans for when they aren't feeling well.  It is allergy season for me, and I know I'll be stuffy headed, fuzzy eyed, and scratchy throated for at least a week or so.  Even with medication it just drains me and makes me go a bit brain dead!  (Today I was 1 1/2 early for a meeting and then 10 min. late for the same one later!)   I want to keep doing something, but I don't know if I can do my regular swimming--kind of need to breath well for that one. Do you just skip a day or do you reduce what you do or do you just work on through it? Thanks, Sally

Sally, to be honest, I try to never skip days in my exercising. If I take one day off, I tend to convince myself that I need another day and another day and so on and so on. Most of the time I find that I feel better if I just go ahead and work out. Even if I just shorten my walk to 30 minutes rather than the usual 45. But if I just go ahead and do it, usually those endorphins kick in and I feel better. If I don't do it, then I just feel guilty and like crap. Your mileage may vary. But this is how I manage to stay afloat with the weight loss. jean

Hi Sally, Well I am the QUEEN of getting out of exercising, so like the other person who answered, I tend not to take days off, even if I'm feeling crappy, I press on through.  Unless my doctor tells me to, of course, then I do lay off as prescribed, and I enjoy the heck out of it! I take every Sunday off, regardless, and work out the other 6 days. If I'm not feeling well, sometimes I will do a bare minimum workout: 30 mins cardio (treadmill usually) and 3 sets on my abs. There are days when I just feel slow and dopey and out of it, and I have been known to trip over my own feet on the treadmill! But for me, I have had to acknowledge one of my biggest failings in the area of exercise has been lack of consistency. I could come up with an excuse not to workout like you would not believe. Please understand I'm not suggesting that this is your issue. This is ALL ME I'm talking about - and this is how I approach days when I just don't feel up to it. To guarantee my greatest chances at success, I bought a good treadmill just before my WLS. That way, I eliminated my personal favorite exercise objections of allergies, weather, and time of day. I can get on that thing any time I want in any weather with no pollen and nice air conditioning, 24/7. No excuses. I also joined the health club at my local Y, giving me access to the locker room. I recently committed to doing my workouts first thing every day, because I realized even tho I enjoyed it, it hung over my head like a sword of Damocles if I had it yet ahead of me thru the day. Also, so many variables could go wrong thru the day & mess up my plan to exercise at a certain time in the afternoon or evening. Getting it done first thing works best for me - then my whole day feels downhill - I've done the hardest thing first. The Y opens at 4:30, and some days, I actually get up at 4:30 and am there by 5:30, so I can make the 1 hour commute to work & get there by 8. I shower & change at the gym. People who know me are freaking out. I have never been known as a "morning person" by any stretch of the imagination. Sorry to ramble. You didn't ask for my life story! But this is what's behind the answer to your question. I guess the short answer would have been "I just do it." Good luck & let us know what ends up working for you! Kathy

Kathy.. Thank you for your reply to this post...I needed to hear your words of encouragment.  I allowed myself to get too busy and ended up missing due to illness and just over committing myself.  One thing I realize these past two days is that even though I slacked for a week...well, not really I was working as a volunteer for a physician's office getting ready for a grand opening.  But needless to say my energy level wasn't there and I went back on Thursday to the gym, I call a friend who is obese and she tells me just like it is...I went yesterday too and today I went with a friend to the State Fair and will count my exercise as walking five hours around in the hot heat.  But what I am really trying to say is there is no real substitute for sweating and hoofing it up at the gym, and I work at the Y.   Thanx again... Jenn