Feeling Guilty About Taking A Rest Day !

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fitandGLAM
fitandGLAM Posts: 36
in Fitness and Exercise
Hello All!
I'm doing a hybrid of Insanity/BBL .. Today is day 16 and I've only taken one rest day so far. I know everyone says rest days are necessary, but I feel so guilty taking a full day off. (I'm still eating VERY clean.. Fruits veggies whole grains lean meats..just water and tea... No flours/sugars/processed foods) Any suggestions? Is going say, 2 weeks- with out a rest day really THAT bad? I just love the feeling after a work out so much. I'm more motivated than ever to look stunning this summer. Advice/suggestions??
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  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
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    Go for a walk
  • RhineDHP
    RhineDHP Posts: 1,025 Member
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    If you really don't want to take a rest day, do something low impact that will get your heartrate up. Like swimming, or going for a jog. Just be careful, you don't want to get burnt out from overtraining.
  • roastbeefcake
    roastbeefcake Posts: 1 Member
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    I'd also recommend going for a walk or something very light. Think of rest days as part of training. Your muscles need time to grow. :)
  • SingingSingleTracker
    SingingSingleTracker Posts: 1,866 Member
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    Hello All!
    I'm doing a hybrid of Insanity/BBL .. Today is day 16 and I've only taken one rest day so far. I know everyone says rest days are necessary, but I feel so guilty taking a full day off. (I'm still eating VERY clean.. Fruits veggies whole grains lean meats..just water and tea... No flours/sugars/processed foods) Any suggestions? Is going say, 2 weeks- with out a rest day really THAT bad? I just love the feeling after a work out so much. I'm more motivated than ever to look stunning this summer. Advice/suggestions??

    There are rest days. And there are recovery days. Active recovery days would be a walk, a 30 minute spin on the bike, etc... . A rest day would be just that - resting. Does your Insanity or BBL include any scheduled rest and or recovery days in the program?

    Muscles and soft tissue need to time to recover so they can build up, so many plan their rest days and their recovery days after days that are pretty stressful training wise. In addition, they plan recovery weeks after a hard 2 or 3 week block of training. It allows the body to supercompensate, build and prepare for the next block of training.

    Depends on your goals I guess. Without rest and recovery days, I would simply stagnate and be doing a lot of junk miles without any increase in fitness.

    No need to feel guilty. In fact, try a rest day and see what it feels like on that day as well as the next workout.
  • contingencyplan
    contingencyplan Posts: 3,639 Member
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    Feeling legitimate guilt indicates that you are taking this to an unhealthy obsessive level. Don't worry do much. Nothing, not even exercise, is healthy when turned into an obsession. Everything should be approached with moderation.
  • fitandGLAM
    fitandGLAM Posts: 36
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    Thank you everyone for your input. Insanity includes a cardio recovery day but that day isn't included on the hybrid shedule I found and am currently following. There is one day on Bbl that is strictly weights "sculpt" and another with resistance bands and ankle weights. In a way I view those as recovery days considering the cardio isn't nearly as instense as te Insanity days or the BBL cardio days. I think incorporating a rest day would benefit me after reading everyone's posts. I really like this site and love getting tips/feedback from people who share similar passions! I live in Montana in the middle of the mountains so swimming isn't an option right now. I think walking to feed my horse instead of driving would be some nice light exercise on a rest day. I just don't want to sit around all day watching TV! LOL thanks again everyone!
  • ChaplainHeavin
    ChaplainHeavin Posts: 426 Member
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    I know everyone says rest days are necessary, but I feel so guilty taking a full day off. Advice/suggestions??

    If you want to exercise, I don't see that as a problem. What's troubling is "knowing" it's okay to take a rest day and that they are necessary and yet feeling guilty taking one. Having a healthy mentality about exercise is just as important as the physical aspect of it. And I think the advice about taking a walk is good advice because you could wind up with an injury by overdoing it and then you'll have more rest days than you care for. Anyway, that's my two cents worth.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    I take one, one hundred percent rest day, a week....
  • OverDoIt
    OverDoIt Posts: 332 Member
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    Your body changes outside of the gym as it repairs itself, just remember that. I have said this before, I and many others I know first hand who did high volume burnt out mentally and physically and our joint mobilty suffered. This is a good way to get injured over time. When I say high volume I mean it 7 days a week sometimes up to 2 sessions in a day. It's not worth it. I find down time is a good time to study and do research, so you are armed with more knowledge the next time you step in the gym. At least for me, (a self proclaimed iron addict) I feel that if i can't train my body then I will train my mind We win wars when we have a strategy, and a plan before we step onto the battlefield. This way I feel I am always doing something related to my ultimate goals. It is not easy to listen to others when you have the fire inside of you, I understand. My trainer now has taught me alot about intensity versus volume. i am really seeing the benefits now. I wish you the best, never let anything (even that which you think is good) stand in the way of your dreams.
  • terrainstar
    terrainstar Posts: 16 Member
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    Your muscles do need a break when you are doing daily training but that doesn't mean no exercise. Choose an activity that is more of a fun activity rather than a "work out" activity, your brain can feel the difference and you will enjoy your "day off" much more.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    Feeling legitimate guilt indicates that you are taking this to an unhealthy obsessive level. Don't worry do much. Nothing, not even exercise, is healthy when turned into an obsession. Everything should be approached with moderation.

    I agree

    I've trained pretty hard over the years, collegiate sports etc and I never felt guilty for taking a rest day. I realize training for various things takes on all sorts of schedules and time frames but rest days are important, from a physical and mental aspect.
  • angelzprophecy
    angelzprophecy Posts: 130
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    you sound like someone thats new to an active lifestyle so i say, if you feel like working out then do it. Just be aware of the messages your body will tell you. Be aware if you feel too tired/cranky, elevated heartbeat at rest etc then you're probably under recovering (not over training) and should take a rest day. But try it out. If you want to do 2 weeks of nonstop training then do it and see how it works out. life is about experiences

    but it also sounds like youre in like a honeymoon phase with working out so you should be aware of that too. Dont let the good feeling of starting something good for you get in the way of actual progress
  • fitandGLAM
    fitandGLAM Posts: 36
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    I'm far from new to working out.. I've played travel AAU basketball on numerous teams and should've played in college but made the choice not to. I've had 2 a days all throughout HS in addition to my personal work outs. I'm just really motivated to stick to this hybrid program and I am wanting to see great results (especially from Brazil Butt lift) since I'm not playing basketball competitively anymore (which I did 7days a week for years) I feel empty not being challenged and taking off days. I guess I should just just enjoy that I have more free time. I will definitely be taking an off day after reading this. I'm mainly just bummed because I stopped doing insanity after last summer(loved my results) and kind of fell off the work out wagon. I was still active all summer .. But beer and bbqs definitely don't make your booty look Brazilian lol thanks again for the input ! I'm just so happy that I'm already on day 16 and I have until June 5 to complete two rounds and look amazing by summer !! Thanks again
  • lmr0528
    lmr0528 Posts: 427 Member
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    It's hard once you get into it but you have to remember that rest days are just as important as workout days. Your body needs the rest.
  • weightxlossjourney
    weightxlossjourney Posts: 46 Member
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    It's completely fine to take a rest day especially doing high intensity cardio! Your muscles need time to rest anyway, so no need to feel guilty and like everyone else said, if you want to rest but keep being active take a walk or jog.
  • becs3578
    becs3578 Posts: 836 Member
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    A friend of mine who is a avid runner... keeps me focused on my workouts but also keep on me about 1 rest day a week. I think she is totally right. Your body just need a day to regroup after everything you put it through. I just rearrange my workout schedule so my rest day is the day before my LONG RUN of the week. So I am not running on tired legs.

    And YES, I feel guilty to about rest days... I do believe we can all use them!
  • 23msanchez
    23msanchez Posts: 1
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    It is okay to give yourself a rest day. Your body will appreciate it! :) If you really do want to workout nonstop try doing something simple such as stretches.
  • fitandGLAM
    fitandGLAM Posts: 36
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    Thanks a million for all of your kind advice! Not feeling guilty anymore :)
  • GiddyupTim
    GiddyupTim Posts: 2,819 Member
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    Yeah, take a rest day. It helps a lot. Plus, I have found that when I fail to take adequate rest days, my body just tells me to. There comes the day when I really do not feel like doing anything.
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
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    (I'm still eating VERY clean.. Fruits veggies whole grains lean meats..just water and tea... No flours/sugars/processed foods) Any suggestions?
    Don't go balls out into something that you can't keep up. 100% eating clean, no rest days? Certainly raises the odds of burning out. You're new here, nothing wrong with changing a lifestyle if you can keep it up, but 16 days without rest and a strict diet? Just.. well.. pace yourself.

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