to rest or not to rest..that is the question

dorothystiefelcrews
dorothystiefelcrews Posts: 5 Member
in Introduce Yourself
I am about four weeks into a healthy change. Before this i have started and stopped MANY healthy changes in the last year only to end up 20 pounds heavier than I was. This time feels different...Iv been feeling very motivated and stronger every day. It doesnt feel like a chore or a restriction and I am really enjoying accomplishing my mini goals. Every day i am trying to do better than the day before in my food choices and im pushing myself in the gym. The last couple days my body has felt fatigued. Instead of skipping the gym yesterday i went and just didnt push as much but still burned almost 500 cal. I am nervous to take a day completely off and loose momentum, and also NOT to take a day off and burn out. Please share your thoughts.

Replies

  • MakePeasNotWar
    MakePeasNotWar Posts: 1,329 Member
    That's a super tough question to answer. How fatigued are you? Do you really think a day off could derail your momentum? I would probably rest but plan ahead for the following day's workout, and maybe do some reading about or researching your exercise of choice so you still are doing something to get closer to your goals.

    I get a ton of injuries, unfortunately, but I try to keep a hand in during my time off by reading books, watching fights, or working on planning future training sessions.

    If you really do feel fatigued to the point that you think a rest will physically help you, take the break would be my advice. You could even do some light cardio or other "active rest".
  • Rachelc1992
    Rachelc1992 Posts: 246 Member
    I am exactly the same with not knowing. But when I do take a day off I find it sooo hard to push myself to get up the next day! It's only 1 day but it changes it for me. So on a rest day I just go into gym for 30 minutes and do less :) but I'm still mentally going so I'm fine!
    Maybe you could try that too?

    But if your really tired, rest! It will be better for you. Yesterday I had a hectic day, including 2 workouts, and I was going to set my alarm this mooring and was like, nope! I'm sleeping as long as I need. And I feel soo much better for it! x
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    If you are worried about the habit, why not take a moving rest day? Light exercise, such as a meandering walk or stretches, can fill the time, while still allowing your body to recover.
  • dorothystiefelcrews
    dorothystiefelcrews Posts: 5 Member
    yesterday i felt fatigued..did a lighter workout but then today i just had a really hard time pushing just to reach caloric burn from a few days ago...a day off wouldnt kill me during the week but the weekends tend to b a very slippery slope..one day turns into three very quickly :) i tend to injury my self pretty frequently in past and have often fallen into a slump that took weeks to get back on track....u have really good ideas on staying focused.
  • wendybirdgirl
    wendybirdgirl Posts: 52 Member
    Go for a long walk on your rest day. Go somewhere beautiful. Make it fun.
  • scottyg70
    scottyg70 Posts: 388 Member
    Listen to your body. If you feel fatigued, then you probably need a rest. If you're cranky for no reason, that's another indicator. I understand where you're coming from and I remember when I first started getting fit again how I was afraid I'd lose momentum. So do something easy, like take a nice walk. In your down time doing things that will keep you motivated (at least it did me): plan out your next workout. Look up new exercises. Look at new cool gear (depending on what you do). Get to bed early, rest up and I am pretty sure the motivation will still be there!

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