Rest Days
Without true rest days, your performance and health can suffer. Days off from exercise help your body repair so you can come back stronger.
In this article, we will discuss the benefits of rest days, when to schedule one, signs you may need a day to recover and more.
Benefits of Rest Days
Rest days help your body repair injured muscles, tendons, joints and ligaments. When you exercise hard, you create microscopic damage in your muscles and connective tissue. Days off help you heal up the damage and build back stronger.
Also, rest days help you to replenish muscle and liver glycogen. When you exercise hard, you can deplete glycogen stores which help you to perform better for longer. Some much needed time off can help you top off your glycogen levels so that you can come back better the next day.
Additionally, days off from exercise can help you reduce levels of adrenaline and cortisol. These two hormones can get too high with constant exercise, causing muscle breakdown, increasing the opportunity for colds and infections and general malaise.
Taking a break every few days can also help you recover mentally from any strenuous exercise. Your body and mind both need a break to relax and unwind from strenuous and goal oriented fitness activities.
When to Take a Rest Day
If you take part in any serious training programs, you need a couple rest days each week. At the very least, you should take one full day off from structured physical activity each week.
For those of you who take part in team sports, running or strenuous cardio, make sure to cycle your activities and take a full rest day every two or three days.
If you engage in strenuous strength training, make sure to cycle the body parts that you train or take a day off every two or three days. However, if you use a full body training program, you might even need to cap your strength training at three sessions per week and insert a rest day between each workout.
If you have just started participating in one of these forms of exercise, you might even need to take a day off every other day or every two days to improve recovery and reduce the risk of injury.
Most serious exercisers should not do more than five workouts or cardio sessions per week. Personally, I find four to five workouts per week strikes a perfect balance between training and recovery.
If you follow a structured exercise program, make sure to schedule in your rest days. Remember, one rest day every two or three workout sessions can improve your recovery and performance.
If you only perform low intensity exercise like walking or gardening, you might not need to take rest days at all. However, you should still listen to your body and give yourself a day off when you need it. If you have just started low intensity activity like walking, you may still need a rest day every few days to help your body acclimate to the new routine.
How to Take a Rest Day
Taking a rest day does not mean you need to lie around for the entire day. You can do light, restorative activity to boost muscle recovery and reduce soreness.
For instance, you could try a light 15-30 minute walk around the block. Or, you could try 15-20 minutes of light stretching and yoga. Just make sure you keep the activity short and low intensity. You do not want to compromise recovery by doing too much.
Try not to schedule too many stressful activities on a rest day so that your body can actually recover. For instance, try setting aside an hour in the evening to take a bath and write in a journal. Scheduling in some relaxing and restorative non-fitness activities can help you reduce stress and boost recovery.
What to Eat on a Day OFf
A rest day is the perfect opportunity to give your body what it needs to perform at its best.
During a day off, you can simply follow planned macronutrients and calories if you follow any specific nutrition plan. If not, you can use intuitive eating. Simply listen to your body and eat according to your hunger level.
During a rest day, you want to make sure you eat enough protein and healthy fats. You can still include healthy carbohydrates, but you generally won’t need as many carbs as you would on a heavy exercise day.
Listen to your body and make sure you don’t intentionally cut your calories on a rest day. Doing so may compromise your recovery and reduce your potential in your next workout.
Signs You Need a Rest Day
Here are some signs you need a rest day.
- You feel sore. Physical soreness is a sign you need to rest the muscles you used during your last workout, or even your entire body.
- You feel stale. If you feel like your energy or vigor has declined, it may be time to take a day off from your workouts.
- Your motivation has dropped. A decline in motivation can serve as a sign that you have pushed yourself too hard for too many days in a row.
- Your performance has stagnated. If you feel like your performance has started to stagnate, it may be time to take a day off.
- You get sick often. Getting colds or infections constantly can serve as a sign that you need another day or two per week for rest and recuperation.
- You feel tired and run down. If you just feel tired and worn down, that usually means you need a day off to rest and recover.
Final Thoughts
While it may seem counterintuitive, taking a rest day every few days can boost your results and your mental and physical recovery. While exercise can feel addictive, you need to break your fitness habit once or twice each week with a proper rest day.
