The Importance of Rest Days

I had a conversation with one of my girls the other day about feeling guilty when it comes to taking rest days. I wanted to write a blog on this topic because I know that a lot of people deal with that “guilt”. Been there, done that. Sometimes we take on the frantic “must work out every day” mentality and completely forget that one of (if not the most) important parts of exercising effectively is giving our bodies time to recover.

I know I spend a lot of time encouraging you to work up a sweat, so if I am talking about ways to ensure you have an effective rest day (pretty much telling you do take a day to chill and do nothing) there is probably a good reason. Rest days are crucial not just for giving your body time to recover from workouts, but also to help your muscles become stronger/bigger as they rebuild. So whether you are training for a marathon or simply just trying to maintain good health and a comfortable bodyweight, it is important to do the right amount of exercise for your particular needs. Some people mistakenly believe that MORE IS ALWAYS BETTER, but when it comes to exercise, that is NOT the case.

A lot of people do not know how to exercise properly and will begin to follow what everyone else is doing or the latest fad program. And now with social media, people are following others that are not even certified trainers. Like what?!? Just because you like the way they look or the clothes they wear DOES NOT mean you should be following their training advice. ALWAYS look for that certification! And now I am rambling haha. Back to what I was saying. Following what everyone else is doing without the proper training, more often than not, will do way more harm than good. A lot of programs out there are incorporating prolonged bouts of stress or intolerable amounts of stress that can lead to exhaustion. When the stress is too much for the system to handle, it can (and will) lead to overuse injuries, such as stress fractures, muscle strains, and joint pain. OUCH!

We often hear about the important health benefits of exercise and the negative side effects of inactivity, but it is not as common to hear about why we also need to allow our bodies some time to rest. And yes, it is very important to incorporate movement throughout your day every day, but intense workouts definitely should not be a daily occurrence.

TIME TO BREAK IT DOWN! (going to hit you with some physiology)

Exercise is a physical workload imposed upon the body; the type of exercise and the amount you perform determines the specific changes that your body will experience. For exercise to have the greatest effect and create the changes you want, the type of exercise and the level of intensity should vary on a regular basis. Alternating between low, moderate, and high-intensity workouts. This is known as periodization and provides different methods for structuring workout intensity to allow for proper rest after each exercise.

The most important component of periodization is, you guessed it, proper rest and recovery time between hard and/or high-intensity workouts. Exercise creates two types of stress on your muscles: metabolic stress that comes from depleting the energy stored in individual muscle cells and mechanic stress created by physical damage to the structures of muscle proteins. While the body experiences metabolic or mechanical stress during exercise, it is during the recovery period after the exercise that the body repairs the muscle proteins and replaces the glycogen (the stored glucose in liver and muscle tissue) used to fuel the workout.

Your body needs sufficient time to repair and refuel, especially between challenging, high-intensity workouts. Inadequate rest may lead to over-training syndrome which commonly occurs in fitness enthusiasts that train way beyond their body’s ability to recover. When you perform excessive amounts of exercise without proper rest and recovery you may experience some harmful side effects including decreased performance, fatigue, altered hormonal states, poor sleeping patterns, reproductive disorders, decreased immunity, loss of appetite and mood swings. Sounds to me like maybe the most important training day of the week is that one that is often the most overlooked by many active people – the rest day.

Some people believe that taking a day off from exercise or any strenuous physical activity is equivalent to being lazy, but that just is not true. While it is important to be physically active most days of the week, it is equally as important to give yourself and your body a break by making sure to schedule at least one day of complete rest from demanding physical activity every seven days.

HOW DO I DETERMINE WHEN TO ADD IN REST DAYS?

It is recommended that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio exercise per week. This can easily be achieved through spending 30-60 minutes working out moderately five days per week or spending 20-60 minutes working out vigorously three days a week. Rest days are essential for short-term recovery, adaptation, and your overall well-being in the long term.

How frequently you take a rest day will depend on the amount of stress you put on your body in each training session. When planning out your rest days, keep in mind that the body responds to cardiovascular training and strength training differently. Different factors like the intensity level of your workout, the total volume of your weekly training, your training experience, and your age, will influence the amount of recovery time you will need.

For strength training, it is recommended to train each major muscle group two or three days per week and you should have at least one day of rest before attempting to work a similar muscle group. This means that if you train on consecutive days, you should ensure you are hitting a different area of the body – for example, legs on Monday and chest and back on Tuesday.

The number of rest days you need each week will also depend on the intensity (rate of perceived exertion) of the training session. If your workout on one day is high-intensity, you should follow it the next day with a low-intensity workout.

If you run or do high-intensity cardio workouts, you may find that you do best with 2+ days of rest in between your workouts, especially if you are just starting out. As your body adapts to the training, you will be able to increase the frequency and intensity of your workouts.

Resting is just as important as working out because it is an equal part of the total process required to build strength, endurance, and muscle. Working out, especially resistance training, breaks your body tissues down. Rest days allow your muscles, nerves, bones, and connective tissue time to recover and/or rebuild. When you give your body the proper rest it needs + water and food + sleep, your body tissues will grow back stronger.

The number or rest days you will need each weed depend on:

· Training intensity

· Whether you are doing full-body workouts or split workouts

· How long you have been training for

· Your training style (weight training, power building, HIIT, AMRAP, Tabata, low-intensity cardio, yoga)

· Lifestyle stressors outside your training

THREE IMPORTANT TIPS TO TAKE AN EFFECTIVE REST DAY

1. Do not skimp on the protein! You have probably heard that it is important to consume protein within 30 minutes after a workout, but studies show that your body’s ability to utilize protein to build muscle remains elevated for 24 hours after your workout. Your day off is likely going to come within that 24-hour window, so your body is still working to rebuild torn muscle tissue even if you are not causing any new damage that day. To do this, your body needs protein! Eating sufficient protein every day gives your muscles the best chance to rebuild as best as they can after a workout.

2. Eat wholesome foods! A rest day means that you are giving yourself a day off from training, NOT a day off from your diet. It is always important to ensure you are getting enough macronutrients such as carbs, fats, and protein. However, the other nutrients that fresh food offers are just as important. Antioxidant-rich and vitamin-rich foods are especially important to recovering muscle tissue. Make sure you eat fruits and veggies in a variety of colors (eat the rainbow!) to make sure you are getting different micronutrients. You also need to eat healthy fats – avocado, olive oil, and salmon – to help fight off inflammation.

3. HYDRATE!!!! I know I have said this a million times already in every other blog post I have written haha! When you are properly hydrated, your body is functioning as optimally as possible. That is one of the best ways to ensure that you get an effective workout and an effective recovery day.

BENEFITS OF TAKING A REST DAY

Feeling stressed or burned out? Or are you having a tough time falling asleep even though you are physically exhausted? These are all possible signs of over-training and an indicator that you need to allow for more rest in your workout program. But if the thought of a day away from the gym leaves you feeling anxious, here are a few benefits that you will get when taking a COMPLETE rest day.

· Moderate to high-intensity exercise can rely on the glycolysis energy pathway, which uses carbs to fuel muscle activity. Feeling sluggish or drained at the end of a workout could mean your glycogen levels are depleted. If they get too low, your body could catabolize protein for fuel instead of using it to repair muscle tissue. Taking a rest day can help your body properly replace the energy stores in your muscle cells so that you are full of energy for your next hard workout.

· A day of rest allows your body to repair tissues damaged from the mechanical stresses of exercise.

· If your muscles have been feeling a little sore, a day of rest can allow your circulatory system to perform its job of removing metabolic byproducts in muscle.

· Pushing through a tough workout require mental toughness and stamina, which means that physical exertion is not only hard on your body, but it can really fatigue your brain as well. Spending a day away from your typical training environment can give you a psychological break from exercise and help your mind relax, allowing it to recover a long with your muscles.

REST DAYS VS. ACTIVE RECOVERY DAYS

I tend to do one complete rest day and one active recovery day during the week. That is what I have found works best for me and my training schedule lately. So what is the difference between the two? If you are feeling completely wiped from a tough workout, do not hesitate to sit back and give yourself a day of complete rest. Complete rest days are important for replenishing nutrient stores. But if you are feeling good, or just a little sore, consider performing “recovery activities” like walking, easy hiking, swimming, yoga, and foam rolling. All of these activities will boost blood flow to your muscles, enhancing the delivery nutrients that facilitate their repair and growth.

TIME TO SUM IT ALL UP!

Avoiding rest days can set you up for things like repetitive stress injuries or over-training, which will eventually force you to take some rest days – whether you like it or not. A well-designed exercise program (one that will help you meet your goals) includes adequate rest to fully recover from the stresses of hard exercise.

Including rest days in your program as part of your training schedule will give your body the chance to adapt and grow stronger. Which will get you closer to the results you want. Take the time to recover! Rest, hydrate, and eat well and I PROMISE you will feel stronger and more motivated to do your next workout!

-Body By Riss