Have you ever gotten on a roll with a fitness routine and suddenly you find yourself hitting the gym nearly every day of the week? It’s funny because sometimes it’s so hard to see the motivation, but then once you do, it can be tough to stop. That challenge comes from a lot of things – you love the high of working out, you start to see positive changes in your body, and you enjoy spending your time doing something healthy. But here’s the thing: as it turns out, no matter what, rest days are just as important as the days you spend exercising. Not sure why? Let’s take a look at some commentary from around the web at how rest days can help you achieve your best results, ever.
While it’s essential to incorporate small bouts of movement throughout every day, intense workouts definitely shouldn’t be a daily occurrence.
“Inadequate rest may lead to over-training syndrome which commonly occurs in fitness enthusiasts that train beyond their body’s ability to recover, says Crystal Reeves, also a NASM certified master trainer and a co-owner of MadSweat. “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.”
(via The Active Times)
Your Muscles Need Rest
This is likely the first thing you learned about strength training. When you lift weights, you’re essentially tearing muscle fibers. But without a proper period of rest for your immune system to repair and grow the muscle, you’re not going to get the benefit of your training. That’s why you need to vary the muscle groups you engage on staggered days.
(via FitBit Blog)
“Our bodies were made to be pushed and to be physically and mentally stressed, but they were also built for rest and relaxation. And that means FULLY resting. Before I started taking 2 rest days per week, I would workout multiple times per day and I would run 3-5 miles on my rest days. I never truly rested. I believed that the more work I put into it, the more results I would see. Then when I decided to finally listen to my body and take those rest days, my body completed changed. It took years, but it changed. My muscle definition begin to show more, my body weight decreased and my movements in the gym actually improved.”
(via PaleOMG)
Rest days are what gives your muscles the chance to recover, rejuvenate and grow, not to mention helps keep your motivation going even when you start to get tired. Are you guilty of not taking enough rest days in between workouts?
