Do I really need a day of REST?

rebekahrice1234
rebekahrice1234 Posts: 17
in Health and Weight Loss
I have only been working out for 5 days and I have definility pushed to the point of being sore, my husband tells me I need to rest a day, but I am scared if I don't keep going I will get lazy like I have done so many times in the past... My mind and body tell me to move but, I surely don't want to regret it by hurting myself. What do you think???

Replies

  • mydeloo78
    mydeloo78 Posts: 328 Member
    If you are doing strenuous lifting yes you need a day of rest. Strength gains are when you allow the muscle to recover. This being said you can actively rest, so go for a light walk or swim, nothing too strenuous. Just because you have a rest day doesn't mean you have to sit on your a** all day.
  • hecham
    hecham Posts: 118 Member
    I agree- a rest day does not mean you can't do ANY physical activity. I would go crazy! My "rest" days usually consist of a long walk or Frisbee at the park with my dog.
  • Freyja2023
    Freyja2023 Posts: 158 Member
    Yes rest days are important to give you and your body to rest, if not you will burn out and hate your workout.
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
    You definitely need to rest.

    1 to 2 days a week. It's important - rest is when your muscles repair themselves.
  • jbruced
    jbruced Posts: 210 Member
    A little story along the lines of what mydeloo78 said. An older man was shoveling corn grain with a large grain
    grain shovel. Every so often he would switch to a smaller flat bladed shovel for 10 minutes wwithout stopping.
    A younger worker at the grain mill asked him why he did that. The older man replied, " That's when I'm taking a
    rest"
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
    If you're doing full body you need some rest days but if your on a split you could get away with no rest days. I'd still recommend one day a week of cardio only or rest.
  • Spartan_Maker
    Spartan_Maker Posts: 683 Member
    In my view, no, you don't need a day of rest. Rather than be a slave to general bromides, trust your intuition and body. When exercise goes from producing "eustress" to "distress," that's when you know it's time to slow down and rest.

    There are 6.7 billion of us; we don't all have the same parents, body compositions, athletic backgrounds, psychological profile, hormonal profile, nutritional protocols, medical histories, work demands, family demands etc. There is an ocean of difference between us. Trust your System 1 thinking.
  • pineygirl
    pineygirl Posts: 322 Member
    I usually take 1-2 rest days between lifting, but do cardio on those rest days. If I do take a rest day from intentional exercise all together it's usually because I've had a very active day (really busy day at work, gardening, yardwork, etc).

    I think rest days are more important for strength training than they are for cardio.
  • Phaedra2014
    Phaedra2014 Posts: 1,254 Member
    Some weeks I work out every day, others less days. I don't stress over it. Things get messed up when mindf**k takes over.
  • tenintwenty
    tenintwenty Posts: 92
    I have gone months and years without rest days. They are optimal, but not absolutely necessary.
  • Cr01502
    Cr01502 Posts: 3,614 Member
    I usually take a rest day 1-2 days a week.
  • kitinboots
    kitinboots Posts: 589 Member
    I take 2 days per week as rest days. That doesn't mean I sit on my butt and do nothing, my rest days are my longest work days. I have a 10 hour work day and a 16-18 hour workday where I'm on my feet and active, but not exercising.
    Active rest is great for you, if you're not on your feet at work all day like me, you can practise some yoga, go for a walk, discover your city by foot for the day.
    Taking a break also helps prevent exercise from becoming a chore.
  • escapeartist90210
    escapeartist90210 Posts: 56 Member
    No rest equals crappy results, just relax and take it easy.
  • aloranger7708
    aloranger7708 Posts: 422 Member
    I agree with other posters.... you should take a rest day or two from heavy activity. Doesn't mean you can't go swimming or take a long walk!
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    If you can't take a single rest day without fear of becoming lazy and ditching your entire program, that's a real problem. Surely you're not planning on working out 7 days per week for the rest of your natural life, are you? Learn to enjoy your rest days.
  • CoachDreesTraining
    CoachDreesTraining Posts: 223 Member
    I have only been working out for 5 days and I have definility pushed to the point of being sore, my husband tells me I need to rest a day, but I am scared if I don't keep going I will get lazy like I have done so many times in the past... My mind and body tell me to move but, I surely don't want to regret it by hurting myself. What do you think???

    Rest days are important, but that doesn't means there is a set rule for how many days you can workout in a row. It completely dependent on your workout program, your body, and your nutrition.

    Look up 'General Adaptation Syndrome.'

    I wrote an article on overtraining, but the fun police say I can't post it. If you'd like to read it PM me.
  • dwh77tx
    dwh77tx Posts: 513 Member
    YES!!! Take a rest day. I didn't for a long period of time and my body revolted and I lost my period. REST!
  • vcancel
    vcancel Posts: 96 Member
    I do cardio 6 days a week and take Sunday's off so I can food shop, get chores done, etc. I strength train M-W-F.

    It's not an all or nothing type of thing. The idea is to be more active in your normal lifestyle. Talk a walk, go to the park, go to the mall, whatever... just have fun!!

    If you're sore, you may want to take an extra day off of lifting.

    Best of luck to you!!
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    If you are doing strenuous lifting yes you need a day of rest. Strength gains are when you allow the muscle to recover. This being said you can actively rest, so go for a light walk or swim, nothing too strenuous. Just because you have a rest day doesn't mean you have to sit on your a** all day.

    ^^^ this

    light cardio will not interfere with muscle recovery.

    also, if you're worried about going off schedule, then make scheduled rest days (or schedule light cardio like walking on those days) then your rest day is part of your schedule
  • Confuzzled4ever
    Confuzzled4ever Posts: 2,860 Member
    I exercise almost everyday. I rest when my body tells me i need too. Sometimes i just do a class, sometimes just weights, sometimes just cardio or swimming. Other days I do two or three of those things.. But.. if I feel like i need to sit on my butt all day, then I do.. it's healthy occasionally. Exercise is my stress relief, my outlet for frustration.. it keeps me calm so I exercise a lot. LOL
  • vcancel
    vcancel Posts: 96 Member
    I exercise almost everyday. I rest when my body tells me i need too. Sometimes i just do a class, sometimes just weights, sometimes just cardio or swimming. Other days I do two or three of those things.. But.. if I feel like i need to sit on my butt all day, then I do.. it's healthy occasionally. Exercise is my stress relief, my outlet for frustration.. it keeps me calm so I exercise a lot. LOL

    I love to sit on my but all day too on a Sunday... watch a movie with my family or play with my dogs. It's my favorite thing to do when not being active. Sometimes you really do just need one of those days... :flowerforyou: Today I food shopped, walked the dogs, worked on the laundry (up and down the stairs) and am just chilling now. Love it!
  • bigcrystal123
    bigcrystal123 Posts: 246 Member
    Wat if you rest for a few hours between work outs.like if you work out in the morning and the rest until night time and finish your work out
  • vcancel
    vcancel Posts: 96 Member
    There are no set rules or anything but I'm thinking more of a rest over a 24 hour period. If you're totally strapped for time and split up your workout, you are still working out the same day. Just a thought.
  • ThePolishExperiment
    ThePolishExperiment Posts: 32 Member
    You don't have to do 5 days in a row, you could do 3 days, have one rest, do 2 days, then another rest day, and go for long walks on your days off to stretch your muscles, or do some stretching, which is less strenuous.

    If you don't rest, your muscles can't and won't repair themselves, definitely need to have those 2 rest days, I am on a workout program that means I work out 5 days a week, not all in one go though, as I have to fit it around work.

    Normally my rest days are just keeping active, and sometimes go for a walk or to the park and sit and read, as long as your not working out on your rest days, you will be fine.

    Also your muscles will get used to the feeling of working out so you will feel less sore all the time, and the more you do, and the more you push yourself, the better the results will be, and the happier you will be because you didn't give up, and you kept pushing through.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    I learned the hard way last year and one or two rest days a week is a lot better than 6-8 weeks of rest with a stress fracture. :laugh:

    It's part of the formula. Food. Exercise. Rest. Each are as important as the other. But like others said, "rest" doesn't mean "couch-bound" (unless you end up with a stress fracture like me). A typical rest day for me involves a long slow walk with the dog, or major turbo power cleaning, or gardening, or lots and lots of mall walking while shopping.
  • morticiamom
    morticiamom Posts: 221 Member
    I run three days a week, lift three days a week, and take a nice long walk, or a swim or something on the seventh day. Resting doesn't mean just sitting.

Categories