WHEN TO AVOID GYM AND WORKOUT, ACCORDING TO AYURVEDA

Heading to the gym on hot sunny days or during ice-cold winter days is not everybody’s choice. Add to that, the long drive and expensive gym membership fees plus a range of other factors – it’s no surprise that people are setting up their own garage gyms.

Let’s face it. Everybody is interested in cardio vascular exercises or bodybuilding. Some are interested in both. Whether it’s losing weight, building muscles to look good, or just exercising to get fitter and healthier, people are sweating it out at the gym – and they’re doing it pretty aggressively. However, according to Ayurveda there are certain instances when people need to avoid the gym.

Let’s take a look at a few scenarios when you need to avoid the gym.

Lack of sleep

According to Ayurveda, gym exercises elevate Vata, which is one of the three main principles of Ayurveda (others being Pitta and Kapha doshas). Vata controls the movement related to the body and mind and has a direct impact on the blood flow, breathing, flow of thoughts, and excretion. When you head to the gym without getting enough zzzzz, all of the aforementioned processes will get affected.

Muscle pull

It’s not uncommon that when you lift weights or do complex stretching exercises for the first time, you end up pulling a muscle. This again is related to Vata. It is recommended that you stay away from the gym until your muscle pull or twitch has healed fully. Otherwise, you might end up aggravating it and that would cause more pain and uneasiness in your subsequent workout sessions.

After delivery

Ayurveda suggests that after delivery, women have to avoid exercising until their uterus returns to its normal size and the muscles around it regain their strength. This process takes up to three months in case of normal delivery and up to six months in case of caesarean. So, take rest and enjoy your time taking care of your cute little one until your body is 100% ready for the gym.

Feeling exhausted or when you have breathing problem

After doing intense workouts for days or weeks, you might feel tired and exhausted. Avoid hitting the gym during those times. What you need is a day or two of complete rest to recover before stepping foot into the gym. The rest will not only help you to recover from tiredness but also allow your muscles and joints to regain strength, which is very important for proper body conditioning.

During or just after illness

When you fall sick, you get infected by microorganisms. Working out while suffering from an illness or a disease might spread the infection to the machines and later attack you or someone else who works out using the same equipment. So again, complete recovery is mandatory before hitting the gym.

When your body isn’t ready for the gym

There may be days when you just feel it’s better to skip the gym than sweating it out. Keep in mind that those are the signals sent by your body to the brain. It could be because of stress, depression, or there is something wrong with your body system. Make sure you trust your body and avoid hitting the gym on those days.