While at the Gym I noticed someone had just completed their work out so I asked how it went for them. Their response was this “ I decided to take some rest before doing another work out and I’m so glad that I did, I didn’t realize how recharged I felt to be able to do this work out”
I have had this conversation on what rest is plenty of times with many people including dear clients. Rest day isn’t just meant for the physical it’s also meant for the mental. Yes I know exercise elevates the mental aspect in a great way but what a lot of people don’t realize is that on your health and fitness journey, if you don’t train smart not only will your physical suffer but So will your mental.
It is fine if your goal is to try and Exercise every single day. A majority of people I know choose to try to go for a goal of five days of exercise but what is important to understand is that our bodies absolutely need rest in order to recuperate, recharge and refresh.
You will not be doing a disservice or losing out on anything if you choose to rest your body. if anything, if you do not listen to your body and continue to push yourself, you are heading down a road of injury. How does that affect you mentally? Frustrated, disappointed, and feeling like you either have to start over or just stop period.
If you choose to exercise on a daily basis I always encourage clients to train at different intensities and frequencies, nothing should be exactly the same every day especially the intensity. A lot of people believe that if they do more and work harder the better results they will see when in actuality they are creating more harm than good. The body cannot and will not keep up with the demand on it. Therefore, rest comes to play.
Listen, REST IS A PART OF THE PROGRAM!!
If you must exercise everyday, like I mentioned earlier keep your frequency and intensity’s different each day have light days moderate days and harder days. The other option is exercising on non-consecutive days so on the days that you are not exercising you are resting. Resting does not mean being sedentary it simply means you have a day that is not an organized day of a fitness routine. You’re just simply allowing your body and mind the rest it needs, so when it’s time to get back at it in your workouts, you are fully prepared.
Are you having rest days?