I post a lot of fitness related content on the blog, but I don’t think we have ever stopped to really talk about the days in between training and workouts.
(Past our weekend whereabouts and travels, of course.)
I’m talking about rest days! Please, please tell me you incorporate rest days into your weekly training plan on a consistent basis. They are so important!
5 Reasons You Need Rest Days
Planned, unplanned, excused, unexcused, it doesn’t matter… your body and your mind need rest days. Point and blank.
Whether it’s one, two, or more, it is extremely important to include days to rest into any type of training plan. Whenever I create a workout schedule for a client, I ask them what is realistic to commit to and will most likely give them 4-6 workouts a week at the very most. One rest day is built in on a weekly basis, and the other is for when life happens. You know, those unexpected things that come up, or even dinners or events that pop up and onto your schedule.
It all happens, and you can’t get hard on yourself about “skipping” a workout. Here are plenty of reasons that might make you feel better about taking that day off!
• Your muscles need time to recover in order to build
Rest is essential for muscle growth. If you are constantly training them, your muscles will never rest. This is why a lot of people prefer to schedule specific muscle groups to train each week like leg day, arm day, core, etc.
Personally, I prefer to do total body strength workouts that include all of these muscle groups 2-3 times a week, and pair it with cardio 3 times a week. That’s just me!
• Overtraining
A common mistake newer fitness junkies make is to jump into a high level of training too quickly, and most likely too often. They love the rush and post-workout or post-runner’s high, and can’t get enough of it. Unfortunately, some take this as a pass to skip their rest days, and doing so can cause a series of both mental and physical problems.
Do you think you are being healthy by training more than a recommended amount? Overtraining can lead to a decrease in your immunity, hormones, circulation, and even reproductivity! Beyond the medical issues, you can also increase your irritability, anxiousness, and chances of injury. None of that sounds like a good time!
• Without rest days (or even weeks!), you’ll eventually get burnt out
I like to look at comparing your perfect workout formula to an overall healthy and balanced diet. Generally speaking, I eat pretty clean. Yes, I have days where I eat pizza, drink wine, and eat an embarrassing amount of desserts, but that doesn’t happen every day, and it’s almost always in moderation. I say almost because… well, Thanksgiving. Holidays, weekends, and celebrations are my healthy eating rest days.
The same goes for working out! Whether your goal is to get fit, stay healthy, or even lose weight, there are going to be days where you need a break. Some will be scheduled into your calendar and some won’t. Eventually, you will learn to accept and appreciate every rest day that comes up!
It’s normal to feel like you need a break from a solid workout every once in a while. Sometimes this can happen for an entire week or even longer! While the idea of taking that much time off from structured exercise can be scary, injuries and burn outs are bound to happen. You can avoid more of them by making sure you are getting in your rest days!
• You have to listen to your body
Like I briefly mentioned above, and just like I do in any type of workout post, you absolutely have to listen to what your body is telling you. Some people can go to the gym six days a week while others feel overworked with anything after three. Some people can lift heavy while others do better sticking to lighter free weights.
Some of the workouts I post on the blog won’t be the best types of exercises for every single person reading this. That is exactly why I am adamant about including a disclaimer every time!
Listen to your body. If you feel like you can’t do the suggested 12 reps, do 8 or 10. If you feel maxed out at two rounds through a circuit, skip the third.
While there is a difference between laziness and physical ability, nobody is going to think anything less of you if you have to take a step back from anything you’re doing. If you think you can get through an entire workout given to you, and aren’t in pain, do it. If you feel like your muscles are at their max or start to feel dizzy, absolutely take the rest.
• At least one full day of rest a week is crucial
Think about what you can do with a couple of hours or even an entire day off: catch up on sleep, do a couple loads of laundry, relax, catch up with friends, etc. The same goes for working out!
While I enjoy completing long runs on the weekends, I make sure to at least save at least one of those days to dedicate towards resting and stretching. Instead of worrying about getting to a spin class or something every single day, make a pledge to spend that time resting.
Use the day to give your body some extra love with a long stretch or a massage. Recharge your batteries with sleep. Do whatever you need to do to unwind and get ready for another week of work!
***
As much as you may hate it, rest is not a bad word or habit! It’s good for you to take at least one complete day off from working out per week. And while we are on the subject, remember to take vacations, sleep in without an alarm every once in a while, and get outdoors!
You can still stay active and burn calories (if that is what you’re worried about) without being in a gym. Go for bike ride, walk on the beach, or even just enjoy a day of shopping with friends. Your body will truly thank you!
Questions of the Afternoon
• How often do you get in a rest day?
• Should you be incorporating more into your schedule?
![[in our elementary school era] 🚌😭
Skyler did great walking into KINDERGARTEN with a big smile on his face this morning. I, however, was a bit of a mess on our walk home. 🥹
It’s wild how fast these 5 years with him have gone … 7 since we moved to NYC and into our apartment, dreaming of the day our kids would someday go to the *awesome* school right down our block. 🏫
That day is today, and I still don’t believe it — feeling allll of the emotions and thanking God for placing us here and for being able to trust His timing through the journey. 🫶🏼 #hbshinnyc
SO proud of you, SK - you are going to rock your first year at your “big boy school” - WE LOVE YOU !! 🩵👑](https://lifeinleggings.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)
Yes! All great stuff here. I learned the hard way a few years back and didn’t listen to my body and definitely suffered the consequences. Now, I embrace and love my rest days! Lately I’ve been taking about 3 rest days per week – 1 of which is usually a total rest day and the other 2 I would consider “active rest days” that involve walks and/or bike rides. Before I was pregnant (and trying to get pregnant), I was doing about 5 workouts per week with 2 rest days. Just kinda depends on my phase of life and how I’m feeling with things! Great post – I wish everyone talked more about how important rest is!
Aw, I’m so glad to hear you have embraced the slower days and even phases in your life when you need more rest than ever. (Congrats again on Baby #2!!) Thank you for reading and sharing <3
I actually feel my BEST during my Monday workout (while teaching a class), and that’s because my rest day always falls on Sunday. It’s so true that everyone is different, and I think some people may need even more than one day off a week. Great post and reminder, Heather! 🙂
That makes total sense. I usually do to! I almost always save Sundays for a rest day. Occasionally, I’ll miss a training run on Saturday and have to move it to the next day, but that’s my only reason. Thanks for sharing!
I take one or two FULL rest days a week. As in, I only chase after my kids instead of hitting the gym, taking a yoga class, or going for a run. I run 4x a week, and try to yoga on 2/3 rest days. It’s hard because I love to move but it’s a good reminder just how important it is! Especially, if I was to overtrain and get injured and then have to STOP!
Thanks, girl!
MB
That’s awesome to hear, MaryBeth! Ha, and like you mentioned, they still aren’t 100% rest days. Ever. I need to get back into doing more yoga. I miss it!
I have a really hard time with rest days… I feel so anxious and like I should be doing something! I always read how important they are etc., but it is scary to me. Thank you for laying this out!
I know, I used to feel the same way. And if I ever skip a training run completely (like don’t move it to another day or something) it totally freaks me out. Over the past couple years, however, I’ve realized that it isn’t the end of the world if I don’t make it around to what I have scheduled for myself in my own head. Skip days happen! You aren’t going to be less fit or feel effects from missing one day. Embrace them!
Lately I have been skimping on my rest days because I’ve felt so great and really want to PR this year. No lie..this is the 3rd post I’ve read today about taking rest days and the chapter in the book I’m currently reading was about the necessity of rest days. I’m into signs, so I’m going to start adding in rest days ASAP!
Wow, it sounds like this was great timing for you to read them. I completely understand the feeling of wanting to be your best and go for it all. You just have to take cues from your body! If it can handle what you’re doing, awesome. If you are feeling tired and not fully rested to take on your normal week of work, exercise, training, whatever, you might need to get back to those rest days and make them happen. Regardless, I won’t ever budge on recommending at least one rest day a week. 😉 Best of luck with your races!
I have an important question! How do you keep your diet on track during rest weeks? I find that exercise helps me stay on track, and without it, I quickly fall into bad habits. Any help?
Hi Linda! Diets are tricky. I wouldn’t even say I am on any type of diet, but more a healthy living and eating lifestyle. You are right in the sense that eating healthy and working out tend to go hand in hand. The important thing is to listen to your body, just like I mentioned in the post. I go through phases of eating extremely clean and then I will crave a burger. That probably means my body needs iron! I’ll cut out excess (not all) carbs for a week or so and then feel like I NEED a huge bowl of pasta. Just like exercise, it’s important to take cues from your body and listen to what it needs. If I’m less active than normal, I will usually try to plan my meals out more ahead of time and pack my fridge with fresh produce to ensure I’m staying somewhat on track. I hope this helps!
Great post! I need to take more rests when I am back to my normal training schedule. Not being able to do much has really made me realize how much overtraining I was doing and how important rest is. I was in amenorrhea, exhausted, starving, and emotional…not to mention, not making anymore progress. I am the worst at taking my own advice on rest days and plan on really incorporating more rest into my weekly schedules in the future. Great informative post…as always! 😉
Oh no, it sounds like you are recovering from an injury. As frustrating as that can be, sometimes they happen to remind our bodies to take it down a notch. You were/are dealing with a lot, but the good news is that you recognize that! You’re on a great track forward. Wishing you a very speedy recovery! <3
Oh gosh…I am the worst at taking rest takes. I’ve been dealing with exercise addiction for so long it is hard to pull back and realize taking a rest day (or two) won’t kill me. Sometimes I DO feel tired or like I need a break, but a lot of the time I feel great and ready to take on a workout. Those are the times it’s the hardest to rest because I know the endorphin rush that will come from a workout…even if my body could actually use a break. As someone else said, a number of blogs have posted on this topic recently and it’s starting to drill into my brain (a good thing). I know I won’t lose fitness or gain weight from a day of rest but getting into that mindset it admittedly tough. Thanks for a great post on this. You are an awesome example of someone who is fit and healthy and still manages to give your body the necessary rest it needs. 🙂
Right. It does get hard to pull back and can totally consume your thoughts with anxiety when you do! You’re completely right… incorporating at least one day of rest into your week won’t make you gain or lose weight or take you further from fitness goals. In fact, taking that step back will allow your body to recover and prep to go even harder when you do exercise. I’m so glad you read this and the other posts going around on this subject. Thanks for stopping by and sharing! <3
I’m so happy to be reading this today. I’m taking an unplanned rest day, which is never mentally fun, but my body is telling me it needs some R&R.
Honestly, yesterday was an unplanned rest day for me too. That’s where it all came from. I hope you got the rest your body was craving!
I agree 100%! I have some fellow runner friends who never take a rest day and then they completely implode on race day. I sort of want to shake them and tell them they’re working TOO hard.
And we all need a little ice-cream in our life. 🙂
This is a great reminder! Definitely don’t want get burnt out 🙂
This is beautiful and exactly what I needed to hear today! I’m so thankful for your blog, I’m loving the life of health and fitness that you live it’s inspiring to me!