Life is all about choices and a lot time these choices come down to choosing the lesser of the evil. Take for example the idea of missing a workout or missing a meal.

When we do have to choose between two negatives we want to think in terms of which one will have less negative impact. Financial advisers are great at showing  how you can make changes in your portfolio while minimizing the impact of the taxes you will pay later. We want to think in the same way here. Which choice leaves the least negative impact?
If we are already eating and working out optimally then I would rather miss a workout over a meal. The reason for this is many of us are either over-reaching, over-training, burned out, sleep deprived and or stressed out individuals who would benefit more from a day of rest from a workout than from another session in the gym. The best workout in the world is only one small piece of the puzzle whereas training when you need rest will set you back more than the expected gains from doing this workout.

On the other side if I skip a meal I slow down my metabolism. Personally if I know I am going to miss a workout I try and eat more frequently to off set my missed workout. Yes, you read that correctly. I will focus more on my nutrition when I know I am not working out. Missing a meal means my body is burning fat and building lean tissue more slowly. Your body has no ‘meal memory’ and so when you skip a meal it thinks it may never eat again. As a result it is going to hold on to its energy reserves for the starvation it is experiencing rather than burn them off. Now imagine compounding missing a meal with still doing your workout and you have doubled the negative impacts listed above.

On these days when your fitness centre is not open use this time to your advantage to rest, refocus and come back motivated to attack your goals. And if the opportunity presents itself to miss a workout or a meal choose the one causing the least damage. Your joints and waist line will thank you for it.

Happy new year.