R is for...

Rest Days

Repeat after me, “rest days are important!” *Crowd says, “rest days are important!!”* Great! Now let us tell you why.

Every time you exercise you create very small tears in your muscles. This is just a part of the process that allows your body to become stronger. The small tears are not a problem, it is fabulous for building a stronger muscle. You must provide an environment where those tiny tears can repair themselves and grow!

1. Pushing through a tough workout requires mental toughness and stamina, which means that physical exertion is not only hard on your body, but also your brain. Spending a day away from your typical training environment can give you a psychological break from exercise and help your mind relax, allowing it to recover along with your muscles.
2. A day of rest allows your body to repair tissues damaged from the mechanical stresses of exercise. Specifically, rest allows time for the fibroblasts—individual cells that repair damaged tissues such as muscle proteins—to do their job and repair any tissues that need it. If your muscles have been feeling a little sore, a day of rest can allow your circulatory system to perform its jobs while also delivering the oxygen and nutrients used to help repair damaged tissues.
3. A rest day allows time for other hobbies. While some consider spending time at the gym or sweating to a favorite workout a hobby, it’s important to have other hobbies as well like learn or practice a musical instrument, knit, volunteer, have a garden or read a book.

When it comes to exercise, sometimes less is more. Avoiding rest days can set you up for things like repetitive stress injuries or over training, which will eventually force you to take some rest days—whether you like it or not. A well-designed exercise program—one that will help you meet your goals—includes adequate rest to recover.