--- title: 5 Reasons to Skip a Workout, According to a Fitness Expert description: Here's a list of five personal trainer approved reasons to skip a workout. (You’re welcome.) canonical: https://time.com/4206043/skip-workout-reasons/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-02-04T13:00:37.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:56:23.145Z article:section: Health og:title: 5 Reasons to Skip a Workout, According to a Fitness Expert og:description: Listen to your body og:url: https://time.com/4206043/skip-workout-reasons/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1a5e7a2ebbdc0c10/6987789ce53aba58bb4d6e44/health-weight-exercise-2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1926 og:image:height: 1083 og:image:alt: TIME.com stock photos Weight Loss Health Exercise Weights og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 5 Reasons to Skip a Workout, According to a Fitness Expert twitter:description: Listen to your body twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1a5e7a2ebbdc0c10/6987789ce53aba58bb4d6e44/health-weight-exercise-2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 5 Reasons to Skip a Workout, According to a Fitness Expert > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Health Matters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Health Matters is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The latest health news and expert advice on living well. Health Matters makes the fast-moving world of health more useful, surprising and human, from the latest science and medical breakthroughs to practical ideas for living better. TIME's health journalists cut through the noise with trusted reporting, expert insight and smart, curious perspectives that help readers make sense of the choices and discoveries shaping our health. 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Health Matters is TIME's daily health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free daily newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ## Video: The Good And Bad Of Competitive Fitness Tracking [Watch (HLS stream): The Good And Bad Of Competitive Fitness Tracking](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/XsuZ8SWE.m3u8) (0:56)  _Published 2015-11-08. Public tracking of fitness data might boost your workout performance, but for some, sharing data can sap motivation._ by [Jennifer Cohen / Health.com](https://time.com/author/health-com/) ## Jennifer Cohen / Health.com Contributor Feb 4, 2016 1:00 PM UTC  Elizabeth Renstrom for TIME by [Jennifer Cohen / Health.com](https://time.com/author/health-com/) ## Jennifer Cohen / Health.com Contributor Feb 4, 2016 1:00 PM UTC Despite all those popular “fitness inspiration” memes that show up in your social media feeds**—**think [#NoExcuses](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/87/88/9e/87889e19d31e1359d02f2ff8b497dbd2.gif), [#NoDaysOff](https://www.instagram.com/p/BBIdtOSKw4E/), [#RestLater](https://www.instagram.com/p/BBDLldHM8og/)**—**the truth is, there are some really good reasons to take a day off and rest every now and again. Whether you’re feeling physically fried or just mentally frazzled, sometimes it’s totally O.K. to stay home. Here is a checklist of five trainer-approved reasons to skip a workout. (You’re welcome.) **You feel under the weather** Listen to your body. If you think you can handle a little activity, go for it. A light sweat session might even energize you. But if you’re running a fever or generally feel like crap, there’s no sense in putting more stress on your body. You’re better off resting and recuperating. (And if you think you might be contagious, you should definitely stay home to spare your fellow gym members.) **_Health.com:_**[_22 Ways to Survive Cold and Flu Season_](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20951402,00.html?xid=time) **You’re injured** No matter how carefully you try avoid it, if you’re working out regularly, you’re [bound to get hurt](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20815219,00.html) eventually. Regardless of the injury’s severity, you should always prioritize healing over more exercise. But that doesn’t mean you need to avoid working out altogether. Just make sure you don’t aggravate your ailment. For example, if your shoulder is giving you trouble, [focus on your legs](http://www.health.com/health/video/0,,20969279,00.html) or [abs](http://www.health.com/health/video/0,,20969271,00.html) until you’ve healed. If the pain persists or an injury gets worse with exercise, stick with one fail-safe strategy: rest! **You’re exhausted** You were [tossing and turning](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20974501,00.html) all night, and before you know it, your alarm is blaring. Do you toughen up and hustle to the gym? Or stay in bed and try to log a little more sleep? In this scenario, I’d advise you to do the latter. [Sleep](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20628881,00.html) should be your top priority. Choosing a groggy workout over getting enough shut-eye could do your body more harm than good. Not only does your snooze time affect the quality of your exercise, but it also impacts your brain function, appetite, mood, and overall physical health. Try to get to bed as early as possible the night before an A.M. workout. **_Health.com:_**[_30 Sleep Hacks for Your Most Restful Night Ever_](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20977819,00.html?xid=time) **You’re super sore** If your body is [aching from head to toe](http://news.health.com/2015/09/02/the-5-best-stretches-to-finish-a-workout-and-stop-soreness/), you’re probably in need of a [recovery day](http://www.health.com/health/video/0,,20969354,00.html). When you work out (and especially when you strength train) your muscles literally break down**—**which means you need to allow your body time to repair and replace the damaged muscle fibers. If you don’t, you could actually suffer muscle loss. So take my advice and give yourself a break. Go for a light walk around your neighborhood instead. **_Health.com:_**[_How to Foam Roll Every Hard-To-Reach Muscle_](http://news.health.com/2015/12/30/how-to-foam-roll-every-hard-to-reach-muscle/?xid=time) **You’re overextended** Before you get too excited, your [busy schedule](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20568004,00.html) is not a “get out of gym free” card. But it may mean you should consider a different approach to exercise. For example, if you’re running short on time, and a trip to the gym is simply out of the question, get your sweat on at home. [Tabata](http://news.health.com/2015/09/25/a-4-minute-tabata-workout-for-people-who-have-no-time/) is one of the best ways to sneak in a quick (and effective) workout. After all, it only takes four minutes! Start by picking any move you can do at home. My personal favorites: squats, push-ups, burpees, squat jumps, or sit ups. Next, grab a stopwatch or look up an online tabata timer. Start the clock and do 20 seconds of exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest. Repeat these intervals for a total of four minutes. If you have a little more to spare, pick a second move and repeat. **Want more articles like this? Check out** [**4 Rules for Hiring a Personal Trainer**](http://news.health.com/2015/09/29/4-rules-for-hiring-a-personal-trainer/)**.** [_This article originally appeared on Health.com_](http://news.health.com/2016/01/29/5-legit-reasons-to-skip-a-workout-according-to-a-fitness-expert/?xid=time) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4206043/skip-workout-reasons/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4206043/skip-workout-reasons/"},"headline":"5 Reasons to Skip a Workout, According to a Fitness Expert","datePublished":"2016-02-04T13:00:37.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:56:23.145Z","description":"Listen to your body","url":"https://time.com/4206043/skip-workout-reasons/","keywords":["Exercise & Fitness","fitness","Exercise","Workout"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1a5e7a2ebbdc0c10/6987789ce53aba58bb4d6e44/health-weight-exercise-2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jennifer Cohen / Health.com"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1a5e7a2ebbdc0c10/6987789ce53aba58bb4d6e44/health-weight-exercise-2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"TIME.com stock photos Weight Loss Health Exercise Weights","caption":"TIME.com stock photos Weight Loss Health Exercise Weights","creditText":"Elizabeth Renstrom for TIME","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/exercisefitness/","name":"Exercise & Fitness"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4206043/skip-workout-reasons/","name":"5 Reasons to Skip a Workout, According to a Fitness Expert"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"The Good And Bad Of Competitive Fitness Tracking","description":"Public tracking of fitness data might boost your workout performance, but for some, sharing data can sap motivation.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/XsuZ8SWE/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-11-08T02:19:04.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/XsuZ8SWE.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4206043/skip-workout-reasons/","duration":"PT56S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4206043/skip-workout-reasons/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```