Reasons why you need rest days

Sometimes mustering up the motivation to work out is a challenge. But other times, like when we’re really determined to reach a goal or we feel like we need to make up for lost time, the opposite is true.

Sometimes we take on that frantic “must work out every day” mindset and completely forget that one of the most important parts of exercising effectively is giving our bodies time to recover.

“When the stress is too much physiologically for the system to handle, it can and will lead to overuse injuries, such as stress fractures, muscle strains, and joint pain,” he said.

So often we hear about the important health benefits of exercise and the negative side effects of inactivity, but it’s not as common to hear about why we also need to allow our bodies some time to rest.

Yes, it’s important to incorporate small bouts of movement throughout every day, but intense workouts definitely shouldn’t be a daily occurrence.

 “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.”

“You should have at least one day of rest before attempting to work similar muscle groups again. “The general rule is it requires a minimum of 48 hours to recover with full recovery seen within 72 to 96 hours post workout.”

Different factors, like the intensity level of your workout, the total volume of your weekly activities, your working experience, and your age, will all influence the exact amount of recovery you’ll need.

“You always want to allow enough time to recover fully. “But not so much time that you lose the gains you've made.”

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.

Sleep is also an important part of the process.

“During REM sleep, your body’s production of growth hormone increases, which aids in the repairing and rebuilding of muscles post-workout,” Reeves said.

If your goal is build muscle, but you’re not getting quality sleep on a regular basis, your production of growth hormone will be negatively affected and your efforts will be thwarted.

Not to mention, sleep is important for maintaining good health on many other levels.

“Be sure to properly hydrate. Dehydration can lead to overheating, headaches, and muscle fatigue. “Get at six to eight hours of sleep every night, and be sure to schedule a couple days a week to let your body heal.”