My sister and I used to ride horses (she was way better at it, probably because she’s not violently allergic). I remember going to her horse shows and being in awe of the beautiful show horses that were preened and polished to their absolute best while they strutted their stuff around the show grounds. I have to admit, occasionally I feel like a pretty pony that’s on top of her game and ready to rock and roll when I go to the gym or head to the yoga studio.
Whether it’s the new pair of lulus I’ve got on that make me feel extra sassy or because I’m not bloated from too much wine over the weekend, I can feel full of energy and ready to prance with the best of them. But then there are the occasions that I don’t feel anything like a pretty pony, but more like a Shetland pony with a bad haircut and it’s saddle on backwards.
Trust me, I’ve had more than my fair share of dragging myself into the gym or studio feeling like an absolute hot mess with greasy hair and pimples big enough to scare a small child. On those days when I feel that I’m not 100% on my game, it turns out that those can be the days when I put in some of the best work.
As crummy as I may feel either physiologically or physically, sometimes it’s just the simple act of starting the rhythm of my workout and without necessarily putting my best effort in that I end up feeling better than I did before. Now, don’t get me wrong, there are times when you definitely need to rest and you should incorporate rest days regularly into your current training program based on your training frequency or load, nutritional goals, sleep, and many other factors.
But if you’re just feeling a little lackluster, give it a go and see how you feel. What we forget is that with a consistently executed regimen, having one bad workout can do relatively nothing to deter progress. Heck, having two isn’t even that big a deal. What is more important to success is the effort in adhering to a consistent habit without attachment to an immediate result. Remember that looking and feeling your best isn’t always relative to the outcome of your efforts.
Bottom line here is to pay attention to how you feel, be as compliant as you can to your program within reason, and don’t worry if you don’t feel or look at the top of your game. In the end, it’s all about the daily effort to become better that counts. Prance on pretty ponies, prance on.
