ERGH! ERGH! ERGH!
Your alarm is going off again for the third time this morning.  "I would be able to sleep another hour if I skipped my workout this morning.  Besides," you think to yourself, eyes barely open, "I'll just exercise tonight after work."  The day goes by and you are determined to get a good workout in.  You gaze up at the clock that reads: 1:32, just over three hours to go.  During your last break you quickly jot down your leg routine; squats, lunges, leg extension, glute kickbacks and scarf down a couple of bananas.  The clock now reads: 4:47 and you are oozing determination.  "I am gonna kick ass today!" you tell yourself.  It is now 5:00 and time for you to go to the gym!  You skip to your car, ready to kill the next hour and a half.  But when you sit down you realize how sore your feet are and how tired you feel.  Your stomach growls fiercely and before you know it you are driving the opposite way to the gym, towards home.   During the 10 minute drive you tell yourself, "It's okay, I needed a rest day anyways." And, "I'll just workout extra hard tomorrow."  You park your car and take a look at the neatly folded workout clothes laying on the passenger's seat, shrug off the fact that they haven't been worn in days, and go into your house.

Sound the least bit familiar?  

This happens to me sometimes.  It is so easy to not workout that it just happens.  I am a firm believer in listening to my body, if it needs rest; I rest.  But, sometimes it is okay to force yourself to workout.

On days when I am really not feeling it I make myself workout for just  a little bit.  I find that if I throw on some cute workout clothes and get the blood flowin, I just finish my workout because I end up loosing track of time.  But, there are some times, albeit rarely, where even if I do put on some cute clothes and get started, I drudge through a few minutes and make excuses that I have to leave.  Sometimes I don't even make it out of my house before I am back in my pj's, binge watching some Futurama.  And on days like that, I will never beat myself up over it, not anymore at least.  Because I love working out so much, if I can't make it through a workout, even if I try, then I give my body a break.  And *gasp* that's okay.

 But for days when you just need a little motivation I recommend doing some self-reflection.  Why do you want to workout?  For health?  For strength? To loose fat? To build muscle?  To get faster?  To look "better" in your clothes?  Whatever your goals may be, think about them.  Think about how far you have come and know that the more consistent you are, the easier it gets to get your butt to the gym.  If self-reflection doesn't work, then I recommend literally forcing yourself to the gym.  Some of my greatest workouts have been on days where I really didn't wanna go the the gym.  

But, of course, like I mentioned earlier it is so important to listen to your body and if your form is suffering or you just can't bare to lift a weight or run a few feet, even if you try your very hardest, then let yourself relax.  Maybe go on a walk later in the day with a friend, or do some simple stretching.  But most importantly, make sure to forgive yourself when days like this strike.  I used to feel so guilty for not working out and that is so ridiculous to me now.  Some R&R is never a bad thing.