Should i workout if im exhausted

Find out:. So many people forget that sleep is just as important as proper nutrition and exercise. When your body is tired and run down, it cannot function at its full potential. Being over-tired or sleep deprived may leave you feeling sluggish, grumpy and weak.

If you are exhausted and running on little sleep, exercising may place added and unnecessary stress on your body. If you train when you are exhausted, you also may not be able to perform at your best during your workout. For example, you may start to compromise on your technique in your last few reps, which could possibly result in injury.

If you are overtraining or trying to push through exercise when you're too tired, you put yourself at risk of burning out. While being exhausted after a workout can be a satisfying feeling, if you are doing three group exercise classes back to back every single day, then you could potentially be putting your body under a lot of stress.

Everything in life is all about balance, which is why it is so important for you to find a exercise program that works with your lifestyle and also leaves you with enough energy for other activities. If you burn out after going hard for one or two months, you will more than likely quit because you cannot sustain it. Instead find a workout routine that makes you happy and that you can maintain long-term, and if you skip that one Wednesday workout remember, it is okay! The benefit of rest is that your muscles have the opportunity to repair themselves.

When you lift weights it creates tiny tears in your muscles that can only be repaired during rest. This process is what makes them stronger than before, but may also leave you feeling a little sore a day or two afterwards! When organising your training schedule, it is important that you make time for rest and rehabilitation in addition to your regular resistance and cardio sessions.

If you tend to pull up sore after each workout, follow on with cardio and some light stretching the next day instead. This may require a couple of weeks of trial and error, but once you find a routine that works for you and your body, then stick to it! Overtraining may do the opposite of what your intentions actually are. If you are continually training for too long, too much, or when you're too tired, your body will release large amounts of cortisol your stress hormone. Not only can this be damaging your body long-term, but it may cause your body to hold onto fat rather than lose it.

Trying to squeeze in a workout on top of other responsibilities Work! Below, I explain why, plus what to do when you don't have enough time for sleep and a workout. You might feel OK if you work out on no sleep every once in a while. Continue to do so, and you will likely spend every day feeling like you got hit by a truck. Sleep is the foundation for all things, fitness included: Without sleep, your body won't recover from the stress of physical activity and your fitness will either plateau or start spiraling downward.

Don't succumb to fitness hustle culture just to feel accomplished. You won't accomplish much through a sleep-deprived workout except more exhaustion and maybe some resentment toward exercise. There's a clear link between sleep and fitness: Research shows that inadequate sleep negatively affects athletic performance while adequate sleep improves performance. There's some debate as to whether lack of sleep biomechanically affects your fitness abilities , but researchers think that fitness performance decreases after sleep deprivation because working out just feels harder.

Most people already know that from their own experience. Everything feels tough on no sleep. Plus, lack of sleep can affect your motivation to work out in the first place. You might find yourself dreading your workouts and hating every minute in the gym -- that's not good for long-term adherence to a fitness plan.

Conversely, getting enough sleep can improve the likelihood that you're encouraged to work out in the morning. Another clue: You wake up feeling rested after a "good" night's sleep, but then at 2 or 3 p.

One side note: Hitting a lull at 2 or 3 p. Hitting a wall that makes you feel completely fatigued is not. Causes of poor-quality sleep can range from stress and hormones to thyroid or adrenal issues, says Traxler. If you suspect you're not sleeping well, the next step is to see your primary care physician or endocrinologist. More incentive to get it figured out: Sleep is the most important thing for your health, fitness, and weight-loss goals.

In the Ayurvedic tradition the traditional, holistic Hindu system of medicine , physical exhaustion is known as a vata imbalance. According to Ayurveda, this can arise from overactivity and lack of sleep, but also skipped meals, undereating, and overuse of stimulants, such as caffeine.

To overcome exhaustion the Ayurvedic way, it's important to sleep regular hours-approximately eight hours a day, preferably going to sleep by 10 or 11 p. Which is also pretty consistent with what other experts say about how to get the best sleep. Mental exhaustion is a very real thing as well, says Gilliland. But let's be real: Sometimes we just feel unmotivated or lazy.

If you're wondering if that's the case, take this "test" that from Traxler: Ask yourself if you'd feel energized if you were invited to do your favorite thing in the world right now-whether that's shopping or going out to dinner. Having trouble with the hypotheticals? Another way to test whether you're truly exhausted IRL: Create a minimal commitment, and stick to it, suggests Traxler. If it's the gym, perhaps your minimum commitment is to simply put on your workout clothes or drive to the gym and check in.

If you take that step, but you're still exhausted and dreading the workout, don't do it. But chances are, if you're just feeling mentally-not physically-tired, you'll be able to rally and follow through with it. When I was young, I recall sitting in high school algebra class, jotting down ideas for my workout when school was out.

This kind of gut-busting workout takes a big toll on the body, and as I discussed last week, you have to be certain to fuel your body with good nutrition, and to get lots of quality sleep each night. This is critical for full recovery from your workouts. But what if something interferes with eating and sleeping right? If so, you might not recover fully and be ready for your next workout.

Unfortunately, even if you eat and sleep right, if you are doing too much, too often, you can become over-trained. Forcing yourself to keep going can make things worse. Bryant Stamford is professor and chairman of the department of kinesiology and integrative physiology at Hanover College.