Z. Johnson
Rest days are not overrated. Taking breaks from your regular routine is not a luxury. And, you should certainly not feel guilty for having rest days from the gym. As a matter of fact, time out is necessary in life, in general. But, oftentimes, we may feel tempted to just keep going, to have better results. The thing is, more is not always more. Rest days are super important for your body’s metabolism. So, let’s dive into why rest days are much needed in your fitness journey.
Rest days are a must for your body’s metabolism
There is no lie that rest days are essential to keep your body working in the best conditions. Our body is like a machine, so if we keep moving it without proper rest, it can fall short. Besides eating well, movement will help to boost your body’s ability to burn fat. But, if we don’t rest properly, hormones will be out of whack. What does this mean? Remember that our body responds to stimuli like hunger, movement and stress. If your body is not properly rested, it can release more cortisol, which is the stress hormone that causes us to store fat, depletes muscle and increases hunger cravings. That’s the reason why many people that overtrain at the gym struggle constantly to lose belly fat.
Your body needs to properly build muscle with rest days
What is the formula for building muscle? Proper nutrition, strength training, (which is progressive overload), and rest days. In other words, to build muscle, your workouts must tear the fibers, and then you have to let them rebuild. The only way to do this is with rest days.
Studies show that our bodies require more than 24 hours for protein synthesis, in order to rebuild muscle. Another study explains how our body needs consistent cycles of exercise and recovery for the muscles to build and adapt.
So, if you don’t prioritize rest days, two things will happen: first, you will be sore and will feel exhausted. Second, you will not see results from your workouts, since your muscles won’t be able to rebuild and grow. Therefore, what’s the point of going on a fitness journey without properly resting?
By the way, I regularly use resistance bands to enhance my squats and other lower body exercises. I just love how much tension these bands put on my muscles while I’m performing those exercises! My favorite Alta Fitness lower body resistance bands are anti-slip and roll. They come in 3 levels, from light to heavy. Below, I left you the ones I’m using. You’ll get a 20% discount on your purchase here.
Rest days avoid you from over exercising
That takes us to the next point of discussion. It’s very easy to fall into the trap of “go hard or go home” when we are at the gym. Which, by the way, is not bad at all, but there are boundaries. Working out more than 5 times a week has no extra benefits on your body more than giving you burnout. Trust me, less is more when it comes to workouts. And it goes for both cardio and strength training. Doing too much of any type of exercise is too strenuous on the body, and will affect your metabolism.
Evidence shows that overtraining can cause fatigue, brain fog, sleep loss, weight gain, depression, and even decreased performance. Therefore, you gotta get rid of the concept of “train like a beast” more than 5 times a week. Your gym bros will tell you that you need to go hard, but doing too much does more harm than good. If you want to effectively build muscle, burn more fat and overall feel better, you need to give priority to rest days.
For upper body exercises, I love using my Alta Fitness resistance bands set. It’s really effective because they come in different levels of resistance, just like the free weights. Apart from that, you can increase the level once your body becomes used to the exercise. You should be increasing weights or resistance after a while, so your muscles tone better once they adapt. Below you can get the resistance bands I’m using at a 20% discount price.
Read more: Workouts to lose weight and keep the curves
Your mental health benefits from rest days
Resting is essential for your body not only physically. But, taking breaks is also necessary for your mental health. When you prioritize rest days, it helps you to perform better in your workouts. It is also proven to boost your motivation for the next gym day. Trust me, exercising when you’re not feeling like it is no fun. Also, being drained will blur focus from your workouts. You will have problems to be productive, if you over exercise and not take breaks. Not taking rest days can also make you moody all the time. Therefore, make it a must to schedule your rest days so you can have all the best energy, both physically and mentally.
Pro tip: Have you ever heard about the waist trainers? I love using a waist trainer while I workout my core. These help to promote more sweat around the waistline. This is great because it gives a thermal effect under your skin and it helps to shape that area. As well, I noticed how it helps with a correct posture while I’m performing my exercises. The one I use definitely helps to trim that waistline while promoting fat burn! My favorite brand is Sweat Belt, from Vanna Belt.
Your body needs to replenish
Taking rest days will make your body replenish its energy tanks.Think about it, as someone who is constantly using up energy for daily activities and workouts, taking breaks is needed to rebuild. Rest days will help your body restore energy lost. One way is through glycogen, which is stored in your muscles. When you eat enough protein and quality carbs, you will be able to accomplish this. Remember that when you workout, your body uses up carbs as a main source of fuel. This is true especially if your exercises last less than 1 hour.
Proper recovery will allow your body time to fully replace glycogen used from your foods. If you don’t rest enough, not only will you be sore, but also will experience chronic fatigue and muscle depletion. This will definitely take a toll on your performance when you exercise. Therefore, you should be resting at least 24 hours, especially if you train consistently and lift heavy.
Read more: Fitness meal prep easy: A beginner’s guide
What are some guidelines about rest days?
There are no black and white rules when it comes to rest days. You have to learn to tune in and listen to your body. However, there are some basic guidelines, based on science as to how much is the minimum you should rest and how much is too much workout. First off, let me say that it all depends on the level of intensity of your workouts. Also, how many days of the week you are training. As said earlier, working out 6-7 times a week is just not necessary. It is too much. Even 5 times a week is a bit too much. The ideal workout sweet spot is 3-4 days a week. I personally have never worked out more than 4 days a week. And I’ve still been able to achieve results.
Experts recommend that you rest at least 2 days a week. If you’re strength training, you should ideally get rest days in between your schedule. As said, you should listen to your body in terms of how it feels. Exercising tired or sore just for the sake of not skipping a workout is just not worth it. Lack of motivation or feeling “forced” to do exercise are also signs that you need a break.
Read more: 10 benefits of changing your workout routine
What is considered a “rest day”?
So, rest days are not squeezing in a hot yoga session. Unless it’s light yoga, focused on breathing and stretching exercises, this will help to replenish your body. Rest days are not going on a bike either. Light walks, stretching, or walking your dog can also count as rest day movements. These are non stressful ways of moving.
Rest days don’t mean that you should lay on your couch all day either. I mean, if you feel like sleeping in, like a lazy Sunday, then go for it. But, typically, rest days are for you to focus on other activities of your life, except for exercise. Spend some quality “me time”, take the time to unplug, share with your loved ones, simply run errands or have fun.
Nutrition: What about “cheat days”?
Oh! The infamous question about the “cheat days”. First of all, if I were you, I would remove that phrase entirely from my vocabulary. Just as with exercise, your body needs balance with your diet. It is realistic, sustainable and effective for weight loss or muscle gain. We all deserve to have treats regularly, even for the sake of our mental health. That doesn’t mean that you must fall into compulsive eating, but at least, learning to eat healthy in a consistent way will get you rid of food anxiety.
There is more to life than just “dieting” and exercising. But, if you eat healthy during the week and develop the habit, you won’t struggle on the weekends or holidays. Therefore, focus on food quality rather than quantity and calories, and you will win. Get the right nutrition in.
I also make sure I take my vitamins everyday, to stay healthy. I personally take Whole Food Women’s Multivitamin on a daily basis, since they help to boost my energy, support my immunity, as well as keep my metabolism in check. My go-to vitamins are plant-based, and high quality, which include all the vitamins and minerals my body needs. Learn more about this vitamin supplement and get it at discount here:
Finally,
Rest days are important for your body’s metabolism. Taking breaks will also allow your body to recover both physically and mentally. In order to effectively build muscle or lose weight, you need to take rest days in between your workouts. Remember to tune into your body to determine what works for you in terms of rest days. What are your current rest days? Comment below. Sharing is caring!
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