do you need one day of rest from exercise?

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mish24canada
mish24canada Posts: 152 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi I was just wondering what you guys think. Do you really have to have one day of rest from exercise? The problem I have with that is I cant eat as many calories and I will be straving or ending up going over. I tend to eat back my calories but if dont exercise then I only have 1200 calories to eat for me isnt enough. Any suggestions? What do you do? Thank you

Replies

  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    I think sometimes muscles need a day of rest, but that doesn't mean you need to rest your whole body. For strength training, you can alternate muscle groups / days so that you rest one group while working another. For cardio, as long as you are not overtraining you can do it every day. For millions of years man has moved and worked on a daily basis.
  • rassha01
    rassha01 Posts: 534 Member
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    Naa. You can exercise differant body parts on differant days if you want to, or do differant types of cardio workouts. You just have to listen to your body to avoid injuries!! If your body hurts don't be afraid to take a day off.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
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    I think sometimes muscles need a day of rest, but that doesn't mean you need to rest your whole body. For strength training, you can alternate muscle groups / days so that you rest one group while working another. For cardio, as long as you are not overtraining you can do it every day. For millions of years man has moved and worked on a daily basis.

    The only caveat I'd add to the above is that if you're new to running your body does need recovery days (not necessarily a rest day) to adapt - the longest running streak I'm aware of is 45 years... http://www.runnersworld.com/general-interest/longest-us-running-streak-to-end-at-45-years ....and he's set to end it tomorrow.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    It depends on the exercise...you shouldn't be doing vigorous exercise 7 days per week...you have to give your body a break and let it heal and repair from vigorous exercise..but that doesn't mean you can't do something. My "vigorous" cardio is running and I do that 3x weekly. On two of my non-running days I cycle (at a recreational pace) to get in some endurance work that is lower impact...I also lift in the evenings on those days. On the weekends I lift in the AM on Saturday and then usually swim about 1/2 mile or so and then another 1/2 mile swim on Sundays (just a nice EZ pace with my swims too).

    Just make sure you're not pounding your body into oblivion and switch up the intensity and impact.
  • Pinkranger626
    Pinkranger626 Posts: 460 Member
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    It depends on the exercise...you shouldn't be doing vigorous exercise 7 days per week...you have to give your body a break and let it heal and repair from vigorous exercise..but that doesn't mean you can't do something. My "vigorous" cardio is running and I do that 3x weekly. On two of my non-running days I cycle (at a recreational pace) to get in some endurance work that is lower impact...I also lift in the evenings on those days. On the weekends I lift in the AM on Saturday and then usually swim about 1/2 mile or so and then another 1/2 mile swim on Sundays (just a nice EZ pace with my swims too).

    Just make sure you're not pounding your body into oblivion and switch up the intensity and impact.

    This^

    Listen to your body, don't ignore warning signs like fatigue, soreness for extended period of time, mood changes, etc. Also, If you're working out vigorously 5-6 days a week it won't hurt you to eat around the same amount of calories as you do on your workout days on your rest day if you keep it clean ( let's face it, even with exercise the cake doesn't help :P). If you're like I was when I first started losing weight and working out, a day off is absolute torture, make your rest day an active recovery day- light cardio and some stretches or gentle yoga.
  • ylor89
    ylor89 Posts: 105 Member
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    Running is my main form of exercise and I do that four times a week. On the other three days, I do Zumba (or another dance routine), lift some weights, and a little bit of yoga. I used to just run and rest, but adding the other things have really helped me with my energy level and running further. Good luck! :)
  • MelsAuntie
    MelsAuntie Posts: 2,833 Member
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    If you get your exercise farming, like me, then no. Work has to be done every day, period.
  • ron2e
    ron2e Posts: 606
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    I much prefer 7 days of rest. But that's just me..............
  • Lone_Wolf70
    Lone_Wolf70 Posts: 2,820 Member
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    Well, for strength training your muscles need rest in order to grow, but IMO I think cardio can be done everyday, however just like anything else you should mix up what you do. I think the other thing is people misidentify the defintion of "rest." Some ppl think rest means do not stay active and eat what you will. I view it as you should be active EVERY day.
  • AJinBirmingham
    AJinBirmingham Posts: 497
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    No, you don't. Google "active recovery."

    Each part of your body you work out needs some recovery time, but humans are animals and our bodies are designed to move around every single day unless we're seriously ill.
  • _EndGame_
    _EndGame_ Posts: 770 Member
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    I try to do at least 20 minutes of cardio a day. Averaging between 3000 and 4000 steps per day. I lift weights usually between 3 - 6 times a week.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    To answer the title question, it depends. Some things you can do daily, others you need rest. A lot depends on intensity too.

    The red flag I see is that if you are ONLY exercisin just because otherwise you would be starving, then that's a problem.
  • maggie16sweetxoxo
    maggie16sweetxoxo Posts: 314 Member
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    Strength training is the act of breaking down muscle, when you rest it builds back up stronger. REST, EAT, WORKOUT.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    I agree with the posters saying it depends on the exercise. You don't want to do the exact same workout seven days a week. Some people split up lifting/cardio or if only lifting, do different muscle groups on different days. It's best in general to either mix-and-match your workouts (to keep your body from becoming too efficient) or to have a plan to progressively increase what you are doing. (lifting heavier, running longer/faster)

    But also, a "rest day" doesn't mean you have to lie on the couch all day watching TV. My rest day is Sunday, and yesterday, I did four loads of laundry, cleaned the house, prepared food for work this week, tended the garden, and went for a walk.
  • davemunger
    davemunger Posts: 1,139 Member
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    I'm a runner who runs nearly every day, and I have been steadily improving as a runner and losing weight for three years now.

    That said, I don't run *hard* every day -- I only do two to three hard running workouts per week; other days are "easy" days for me (though three years ago the same run would have qualified as a "hard" workout). As others have said, you can also change up your workouts by working different muscle groups (alternating running and swimming, for example, or lifting weights on upper body one day and lower body the next).

    It is true that muscles can only grow when they are resting, but "rest" in this context just means a relatively easy workout. You don't have to sit on the couch all day today just because you worked out yesterday!
  • bumblebums
    bumblebums Posts: 2,181 Member
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    I peeked in your profile, OP, and I see that you are fairly close to your goal weight. As you become leaner, your ability to tolerate large caloric deficits plummets. Your mention of 1200 calories on non-exercise days leads me to suspect that you still have MFP set to lose 2 lb a week--is that right? If so, you might consider changing this to 1 if not 0.5 lb a week. My guess is that you are probably not losing 2 lb a week right now anyway, and your low intake is hampering your ability to recover from activity. (This is all assuming that you are logging accurately and weighing your food, of course, which may be unfounded.)

    You are also not 20. As you approach middle age, your body loses its ability to recover from stress. You might have noticed that injuries take longer to heal. This is yet another sign that you need to give your body a break. So yes, I would take at least one rest day a week. I take four rest days a week, and neither my weight nor my athletic performance suffers for it.
  • jaypespinoza
    jaypespinoza Posts: 1
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    Honestly I work out everyday. No days off. I lift one day which I do cardio only is my rest day. I came on here to see what people think but some people butch about two or three dad of cardio that ain't nothing. The body is a beautiful machine and cN do amazing things. I say take it light compared to what your used to and consider it a rest day.

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