Rest days/Listening to your body

oocdc2

TavistockToad wrote: »

...i would have 1 day a week where i just walked/ran to work, without all the additional exercise first.

Seconding this, plus a full-blown rest day once or twice a week won't hurt you. Yes, it's true you won't be able to eat as many calories, but easily tracking that is what makes this site so great, right?

(And also seconding @samanthaluangphixay: I'm absolutely ravenous on my rest days. I chew a lot of gum and drink tea on those days.)

peaceout_aly

Rest days can be a "normal thing." And they really should be. Cardio is fine to do daily, but when lifting heavy your body needs a little time to recover. I aim for 5-6 lifts a week and usually schedule rest days where I just stretch and recover. Eat within your calorie allowance on these days since you don't have exercise calories to eat back. Simple as that. I always struggle with actually resting on rest days, but then when I get back in the gym the next day I feel refreshed and can usually hit a new PR or two, and muscles appear more defined, so it's well worth it. Listen to your body. It isn't "lying" to you.

Mycophilia

The only reason I don't go to the gym every day is because it's a pain to manage a 6-day workout schedule with 7-day weeks.

miratps

Thank you all, I did a lot of walking instead today/walked the routes I would have jogged and am glad to hear so many people are taking rest days and it's not something I should be afraid of

cwolfman13

miratps wrote: »

Hi all,

So this morning I got up at 3 as usual to do my exercise routine (an hour of exercise bike complimented with some kettlebell stuff), then I normally run to the station the long way (about 3km) and then get off a few stops earlier than I need to for another jog to the office (just under 5k). Then I walk a ton more the rest of the day, easily rack up over 30k steps a day.

But the last couple days have been a slog, I haven't had a rest where I do nothing for months now and today my legs just feel heavier than they did yesterday so I got off the bike after 10 mins of poor peddling. I'm thinking instead of jogging just walk it to the station etc. Problem is, I haven't done this before and am worried now that I won't be able to eat as much today as I haven't 'earnt' any extra calories despite most likely still being able to get at least 10k steps today.

So my question is: Do you guys take rest days and when do you know if your body is "lying" to you? As in you can push on but your body/mind is saying 'just relax today, do nothing' without it becoming a regular thing?

For the record, I am a male, mid 20s weighing 57kg.

Thanks

I take one rest day per week...sometimes two, but usually one...usually on Thursday. Start thinking of them as recovery days vs. "rest" days...recovery is as important to fitness as the work...recovery is where the magic happens. Recovery days should be looked at as a part of your overall fitness program, not something that is happening outside of it. Neglecting recovery is ultimately going to lead to nagging injuries as well as fatigue and burnout.

Also, a rest day doesn't mean a "do nothing" day. A rest/recovery day means you're dialing things back...today is my rest day and I will go on a 3 mile walk at lunch; when I get home tonight I will do some yoga as well as some rolling and stretching.

Beyond that, one of the issues I have with MFP's methodology is that it assumes this exact 1:1 relationship...if you didn't do X today then you can't eat Y...or if you did X today then you need to eat exactly Y...and it is a vast oversimplification of how your body actually works.

spiriteagle99

Rest days are an important part of building muscle. They really are necessary and if you don't take them voluntarily, you may find yourself forced to take them. Google "overtraining". You also sound like you may have some issues that could need therapy. The exercise equivalent of anorexia is no healthier than not eating.

I'm a runner and I take one or two days off each week. As others have said, my rest days are not complete rest - I still walk the dog 2-3 miles, but I am not putting my body through anything intense. I am almost as hungry on my non-running days, but I don't worry about it. I am in maintenance again after having lost a few pounds I gained on a long road trip last summer where I got less exercise than usual. I have been around the same weight for the past 5 years, thanks to regular exercise and just watching what I eat. I know how to balance the two. It sounds like you may need to work a bit on finding a balance that works without having to be obsessive about it.

ChelzFit

I have a horrible past of not listening to my body. When I was 25 I overtrained by running 100 miles a week and eating probably half of what I should have been calorie wise. Ended up having to take a year off from any exercise and my body has limits to this day of what I can do pushing myself. Just recently I was working out 6 day a week for over an hour (cardio and weights) and ignored the signs of overtraining. Fatigue, sleeplessness, injury, and being sick. I continued to push through it and here I am a month and a half later trying to finally get back to a normal routine of exercising four days a week. I am really learning the importance of rest days and also the importance of eating enough to match my output. I have heard so many people say they see more results from exercising less and watching their diet.