Is it okay to take time off from the gym? Let’s dive in.

Spring break season is upon us and having just taken a couple weeks off for vacation, myself, I got to thinking about taking time off from working out. Have you ever had any extended time off from the gym and wondered, “is this okay?” I know I definitely have, so lets dive in.  

Though a wonderful luxury, vacations aren’t the only reason to take time off from the gym. Maybe you’re sick and caught a cold, have a sprained ankle that needs rest, or maybe you’re experiencing so much mental load that the stress of finding time to get to the gym is wreaking more havoc on your body than any benefit of a workout could provide.

So that brings us to the answer to the question, and as it turns out, I have two answers. The first being, one hundred percent, YES. It is ALWAYS okay to take time away from the gym or anything for that matter. The second answer is it depends. **Insert eyerolls** haha. I feel like this was the most common answer given to us in college from professors whenever we asked questions, and it was wildly frustrating and disappointing. But in the real world, “it depends” is a VERY real and valid answer. It depends on you as a person, your goal, your current situation, or stage of life, and what your priorities are, to name a few.

Regarding taking time off from the gym, the big takeaway is to be realistic. 

Be realistic about whatever situation is causing you to take time off.  Maybe its crunch time at work and you’re in the final weeks of big project and just don’t have enough hours in the day to get to the gym.

Assess what your priorities are regarding whatever diet or exercise goals you might have and how time off will impact them.  You have a goal of gaining muscle and not making it to the gym might slow that down. 

Determine what you have control over and what you don’t. You aren’t able to make it to the gym, but you do have control over what you eat and have time to meal prep for the week on Sundays. 

If you end up take time off from the gym, there is a certain level of detraining that happens and that’s normal! The more time you take off, the more detraining that occurs. The good news here is that, whenever your brief hiatus ends, if you dive right back into your regular exercise routine (at a slightly lighter intensity) things will come back to you rather quickly. If you come back and are pretty irregular with your frequency and intensity, you can expect to experience very delayed or minimal results, if any at all. 

Most goals pertaining to the gym, or exercise, are pretty multifaceted. Nutrition is a big piece and we’re learning more and more about how stress, sleep, and recovery tie into these goals as well and it can be very difficult to navigate what your priorities are and where your expectations should be. 

If you have some planned time off, or are in the midst of some unplanned time off and find yourself getting stuck in the weeds with how to make the most of it, we’re here to help! Fill out the free consult form on our website or shoot us a message on Instagram or Facebook and we’ll set up a time to share how we can create a plan that helps you achieve whatever goal you’re working toward!