Is it better to take a day off when your body tells you to?

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Lo65
Lo65 Posts: 33
in Fitness and Exercise
I have walked the last 8 days in a row, and increased my distance and changed from indoors to outdoors. Today, my body is telling me to take a day off. Is it better to listen to my body and take a day off, or push through and still walk today?

Replies

  • Lo65
    Lo65 Posts: 33
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    PS I will still get my exercise today by vacuuming the entire house and doing a lot of other chores!
  • toniosmom119
    toniosmom119 Posts: 7
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    I think you should always listen to your body. If you need a day off, after 8 straight days of walking, then do it. Your muscles need to rest and you can get right back into your routine tomorrow. Housework certainly counts as exercise, so you will still be getting your exercise and the muscles you've been using every single day for the past 8 days will get a little respite. We should always vary our workouts anyway. The most successful workout programs include a rest day and vary workouts daily.

    Enjoy your day off!
  • _dinorah
    _dinorah Posts: 11
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    Taking a rest day is great for helping your body recover so that the next time you exercise, you're at full capacity. But you also have to determine whether or not you need the rest or if you're just being lazy (not that I'm saying you are, lol). I know personally, I get a lot of lazy days where I'm like... "I need to stay in bed instead of go to the gym." Listen to your body and determine what is best for you. You should definitely take at least 1 rest day per week of exercise.
  • MyJourney1960
    MyJourney1960 Posts: 1,133 Member
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    you're not "taking a day off" - you are doing something else and taht is fine. I "took the day off" yesterday and cleaned my house instead of going to the gym
  • Marina809
    Marina809 Posts: 38
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    Depends. Do you trust your body to tell you what you should do? Right now, my body is telling me to go into the kitchen and get three or more large Nestle Toll House Chocolate Lovers cookies and eat them one right after the other. I can't trust my body to tell me to do the right thing... it's a heathen for sure.

    Don't walk today if you don't want to. I don't think it will make or break you.
  • succeedin2
    succeedin2 Posts: 501 Member
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    My marathon taught me that you have rest days to make you stronger for your next workout due to the recovery.
  • Athena53
    Athena53 Posts: 717 Member
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    I work out every day except when my body is pretty much screaming "don't make me do this". (The last time was in January and it was the worst day of a really nasty cold.) I do, however, switch my workouts around so I'm not always using the same muscles. In your case, it sounds like you've got plenty of activity planned, just something different.
  • cmeiron
    cmeiron Posts: 1,599 Member
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    I take one planned rest day a week (today's the day). When my body is legitimately tired of my workouts are weak, I take an extra day or two. Rest is very important for recovery and repair.
  • Lo65
    Lo65 Posts: 33
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    Thanks everybody! I'm new at this and information and confirmation really helps!
  • MyChocolateDiet
    MyChocolateDiet Posts: 22,281 Member
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    The last time my body talked to me was in late 1999 when heavily medicated due to a medical problem and in the ER. It was a trip. A trip I never want to take again. For the time being I like it when my brain tells my body what to do.
  • toutmonpossible
    toutmonpossible Posts: 1,580 Member
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    If walking is your form of exercise, and you've done it eight days straight, and you're tired, yes, you should take a day off.
  • thurberj
    thurberj Posts: 528 Member
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    Yes, listen to your body.....take a rest day! I always go full force when I am on summer break and then I hit a wall because I've done too much. I have learned that my body knows best! You can always do some stretching or something gentle on a day you are resting. I have arthritis in my feet and have learned to adjust my cardio to the bike and elliptical instead of jogging on the treadmill. I save my impact activity to tennis. If you are watching what you eat you can take a rest day every week to give those joints a rest. I'm 58 and I want them to last!! Good luck!
  • RobynLB83
    RobynLB83 Posts: 626 Member
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    I don't really listen to my body. I often feel absolutely exhausted, then when I get into my workout, I'm suddenly strong and energetic. So I know for me, feeling tired and run down is usually more of a mental thing than a physical thing. Other times, I'll just have a suck *kitten* workout, where I'm weak and performing just horribly, and I know I should have taken a day off. I might take the next day off. I pretty much just ignore soreness or tiredness, but I pay attention to weakness and poor concentration, coordination, performance, etc.

    Your body really can do way more than you think it can. It's usually not your body telling you to stop.
  • bunbunzee44
    bunbunzee44 Posts: 592 Member
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    you need a rest day! allow your muscles time to recover.

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