DO I REALLY NEED REST DAYS?
The short answer is – yes. The fitter you become, the more tempting
it is to embark on exercise streaks and to let your rest days fall
by the wayside, but these breaks are vital in ensuring the body has
enough time to repair and recover. Ultimately, if we continue to
apply high intensity stress to our body every day, our muscles are
unable to adapt quickly enough and will end up in a ‘distress’ state.
This means any results will stagnate, your body will fatigue and
your risk of injury and illness both increase. Skipping rest
completely could lead you to completely burning out, which isn’t
what anyone wants.
Resting is just as important as working out because it’s an equal
part of the total process required to build strength, endurance,
and muscle. “Working out, especially resistance training, breaks
your body tissues down. In fact, resistance training breaks down
muscles causing microscopic tears,” Wynter said. "Rest days allow
your muscles, nerves, bones, and connective tissue time to rebuild.”
DO I REALLY NEED REST DAYS?
The short answer is – yes. The fitter you become, the more tempting
it is to embark on exercise streaks and to let your rest days fall
by the wayside, but these breaks are vital in ensuring the body has
enough time to repair and recover. Ultimately, if we continue to
apply high intensity stress to our body every day, our muscles are
unable to adapt quickly enough and will end up in a ‘distress’ state.
This means any results will stagnate, your body will fatigue and
your risk of injury and illness both increase. Skipping rest
completely could lead you to completely burning out, which isn’t
what anyone wants.
Resting is just as important as working out because it’s an equal
part of the total process required to build strength, endurance,
and muscle. “Working out, especially resistance training, breaks
your body tissues down. In fact, resistance training breaks down
muscles causing microscopic tears,” Wynter said. "Rest days allow
your muscles, nerves, bones, and connective tissue time to rebuild.”
WHY IS REST SO IMPORTANT?
When we exercise, regardless of what we do, we are applying a
deliberate stress to the body. In a way, this is great as our body
is forced to adapt to the stress applied, which in time makes us
stronger, leaner, fitter and faster. However allowing days of rest
is vital in this adaption process, as it gives the body time to
recover and adapt to beyond where we started. It is during the rest
process that the real work starts to take shape.
“Inadequate rest may lead to over-training syndrome which commonly
occurs in fitness enthusiasts that train beyond their body's ability
to recover", explains Crystal Reeves to The Active Times, 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.”
WHICH IS BEST – ACTIVE OR PASSIVE REST?
It is tempting to take passive rest from exercise on our rest
days, meaning complete inactivity. However studies have shown
that active recovery is far superior when it comes to rate of
recovery, improving oxygen supply to the muscles, replenishing
glycogen stores and reducing muscle soreness. Active recovery should
consist of light physical activity, such as a low intensity walk,
a gentle cycle or a swim. You can do your regular exercise class,
but ensure you keep the intensity at no higher than a 3 or 4 out
of 10 in terms of effort levels.
It’s important to remember though, that doing active over passive
rest is not essential - If those muscle aches are feeling more
painful than usual or if you are unusually fatigued feel free to
take a complete day of passive rest. Missing one day of exercise
is not the end of the world.