The Importance of Taking a Rest Day if You Work Out

December 4, 2011

by Cathe Friedrich

Are you burning the candle at both ends when it comes to your workout? You may be forgetting that rest is an important part of the exercise adaptation process. When you exercise, you stimulate muscles in a way that cause them to adapt and grow, but the actual growth takes place during rest and recovery. Exercise is the stimulus that leads to muscle growth when you’re not working out, and for some people that isn’t often enough.

The Risks of Overtraining

Some people have the psychological mindset that they have to work out daily. They push themselves to train every day, never giving themselves a full day off so they can rebuild physically and mentally. Overtraining without rest and recovery depresses the immune system and increases the risk of colds and flu viruses. It also puts you at risk for overuse injuries, especially if you do high-impact exercise such as running. Even worse, some people combine daily intense exercise with a calorie-restricted diet. Then they wonder why they feel tired all the time.

There’s the psychological factor. It’s difficult to train 7 days a week. Can you imagine working a job where you never took a day off? Why should exercise be any different? Working out without giving yourself a full day a week of rest leads to frustration and boredom as your body grows tired and your enthusiasm dwindles. A full day of recovery gives you a jump start physically and psychologically.

You Need More Rest if You Do High-Intensity Workouts

Allowing yourself a full day of rest is even more important if you do high-intensity workouts. Lifting heavy weights, boot camp workouts, sprints, and high-intensity interval training puts great stress on your body and increases the need for rest. Don’t make it a practice to do a high-intensity workout every day. Limit workouts where you max out to a few days a week at most.

Age is a factor too. As you get older, your body doesn’t recover as quickly from working out, and rest becomes even more important. Once you reach your late 30s the risk of overuse injuries increases. Giving your body time to recover can help to prevent injuries that’ll keep you out of the gym for weeks.

Don’t Overtrain – Schedule Time for Rest

Make it a habit to give yourself a full day of rest every week. Many people choose a weekend day to do this. If you can’t convince yourself to lounge around, do yoga or a stretching workout like my Yoga Relax video or take a relaxing walk outdoors. Don’t even think about how many calories you’re burning. Simply enjoy the pleasures of low-intensity movement.

The Bottom Line?

Fitness is part of an overall healthy lifestyle. Training without allowing time for rest isn’t. Keep your enthusiasm up and maximize your gains by taking into account the other component of the fitness equation – rest.

References:

Personal Trainer Today. “Anything But Rest”

One Response

Jennifer says:

December 6, 2011 at 2:58 pm

Amen to this; I’ve recently cut my workouts back to 4 and 5 days a week and I feel stronger during my workouts. Plus, I think some people really do need to remember to relax with friends and family instead of perhaps always thinking about their next workout or calorie consumption. It sure lightens the load:)