Rest days. I feel like they get such a bad wrap in the workout and fitness world, but sometimes they are exactly what the doctor ordered.
The most important thing is that you tell the difference between: “I am lazy and don’t want to work out today” and “my body is really burnt out and I need time to repair and recover.”
Sometimes your body needs to rest. It doesn’t mean you have to sit back and do nothing and eat all the worst food in the world for you – it means you still need to feed your body well and maybe even participate in some “active rest.”
Some examples of good active rest are:
1. Stretching
2. Yoga
3. Walking
Any kind of low impact form of exercise that doesn’t overly exert your body will still allow your body to recover and get the rest it needs on your days “off.” I like to take a long walk with this pretty girl on my active rest days.
I know there are some people out there that go with the motto of “no days off”, and for some that is great but I know for me and my body I need at a minimum of one rest day per week. Most of the time I take Friday off because it is a late day at work for me and I enjoy getting off and enjoying a nice dinner with my husband.
I think everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I know there are people that over work themselves and this can in turn hurt their progress. It is important to alternate your workouts and make sure you are letting yourself rest and not doing the same thing everyday.
I used to run EVERY SINGLE day except for Friday. I got burnt out some days, slacked on my form, and often ended up hurting myself. With weight lifting and running you have to make sure you are focusing that you are doing the workouts properly and not just going through the motions. Form is key no matter what type of workout you are doing.
I took today as an active rest day, but still went on a short easy run and walking a bit.
Please ignore the cat littler boxes, I was taking the picture on my way out the door!
Have a great evening everyone! Back in the gym tomorrow!