For someone who struggles to get to the gym, it can be hard to believe, but for avid exercisers and for those who are actively trying to lose weight, rest days can actually be a challenge. It’s so tempting to get back out there and keep working toward your fitness goals.
However, rest days are as important as work days when it comes to making sustainable progress.
I am being reminded of this as I take my fourth day off marathon training. During the last couple of weeks, my knees have started to ache. At first, it was just during the long runs, but after my great distance accomplishment of 20 miles, the pain lasted into the following days.
It’s not that I haven’t been resting. In fact, since I started marathon training in February, I have been taking two days off every week, during which I only do a little yoga and some walking. But now my body is telling me I need more.
Building up is really a process of breaking down–and then giving your body time, via rest, to do the building up. You replenish your energy stores and repair the damaged tissue via good nutrition and sleep habits as well as time away from the taxing exercise or activity.
When we don’t rest, we risk overtraining–which can lead to burnout and, as I’m experiencing, injury. To be at your best, rest is essential. This is why I’m taking some extra time off, even though I’m just a few weeks away from race day.
When you begin a new exercise program, you might find you need more rest days. As your body grows accustomed to the demands you’re placing on it, you might need less time to recover–but you will always need some. You will find you actually make greater progress with your weight loss goal or any other fitness goal if you take the time to rest and recover.
This doesn’t always mean just lying around and it certainly doesn’t mean getting lazy with your eating habits. Active rest, like taking a walk instead of going to the gym for two hours, is beneficial–that’s how I’ve been resting during these days off running: long walks and gentle yoga.
Make sure you have rest days built in to your workout schedule. As for me, I’m going to get back on the road, paying careful attention to what my knees are telling me, and looking forward to next week when I can start the remainder of my training on dirt!
What do your rest days look like?