Feeling guilty on rest days

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  • smarieallen85
    smarieallen85 Posts: 535 Member
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    Yeah i was kind of wondering about "active rest". It's kind of what my body would prefer to do compared to a complete rest day. I would have tried to figure something out today too but there was more going on than just the physical. Oh well...Tomorrow is another day

    The proper term is "active recovery". It's not a bad idea to have one rest day each week. For some, 2 rest days is even better. Those are the day(s) where taking the dogs for a walk, doing some things around the house that may involve light movement, going shopping, catching a movie, paying the bills, etc.... should take up your time.

    The motto of "workout HARD, and rest HARDER" is a good one.

    Active recovery is very light movement of 30 minutes (trained professional athletes and high ranking amateurs) can get away with 60-90 minutes because they know how to do it. For others, the HR would stay in the recovery zone and most are not patient enough to ride, walk, run, swim that slowly. For those - that are too impatient, it's better they just rest because they continually fail to "rest HARDER". The poster above mentioned cycling using active recovery. However, we are talking granny gear, spinning at such an easy cadence it takes little to no effort, and the HR would stay down in the 90's to 110 or so. Going for a short and easy walk (think lollygag pace) is much easier.

    Sometimes, 2 consecutive days of rest are required. And for structured training, many do a 5 day or an entire week of rest and recovery every third or fourth week in their training cycle. It's not that you don't exercise during a rest and recovery week, but it is at less intensity and shorter duration to allow the muscle to supercompensate and grow to prepare you for the next 2-3 week block of training.

    If you really want to improve your performance, and your strength gains - you must become well acquainted with rest and recovery (and active recovery). Otherwise, you are just tearing down muscle that has not had a chance to replenish itself and you will stagnate/stall/degrade any growth.

    Thanks! Super helpful. I'm pretty cool with one rest day but 2 makes me anxious. Maybe I only need one? Anyway, rest days are also hard when I can't eat back some calories. Regardless, my rest yesterday was great and I worked really hard today. Yesterday I felt horrible-today, amazing.
  • JeriAnne84
    JeriAnne84 Posts: 543 Member
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    I used to feel guilty on rest days, but then I noticed how much better my body performed after a day of rest. Now I look forward to it because I know I can go harder the day afterwards.
  • betomxl
    betomxl Posts: 10
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    Not at all.

    Remember that you're not building muscle while you're working out: that's just the prep work. It's only when you are sleeping and resting that your body is building those muscles bigger, badder and stronger.

    Did you give it everything you had this week? Did you do all the prep work you could?

    Your body is telling you it needs a break. You can never go wrong by listening to what your body is telling you. (Unless, of course, it's telling you that a dozen doughnuts seem like a really good idea right now.)

    Then it's time to give your body a chance to do *its* thing. Sleep and rest are necessary parts of any good workout routine, so you should never feel guilty about doing either.


    I love that dozen doughnuts idea...... :)
  • llamajenn
    llamajenn Posts: 34 Member
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    Yes, I sometimes feel guilty or lazy on rest days. However, rest days are extremely important in getting results. Your body needs a chance to recover. Overexercising can lead to overtraining syndrome, which impacts not just your fitness level but your physiological and psychological state as well. You might know you're not getting enough rest days if your results start to suffer, you're constantly tired or sore, etc.
    There is nothing wrong with 2 rest days per week. I am an exercise instructor and teach most days of the week. If I have a particularly tough day (really intense workout or 2+ classes) I need that extra rest day in the week. I've developed too many injuries by going all out all the time, overloading with classes, etc. I finally had to change my approach a little because I'd like to be in it for the long run and not out with an overuse injury every couple months.
  • shor0814
    shor0814 Posts: 559 Member
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    I used to feel guilty on rest days, but then I noticed how much better my body performed after a day of rest. Now I look forward to it because I know I can go harder the day afterwards.

    This is what makes my rest days a true rest day. On the next workout day I have the confidence and power to give it my best and succeed. I now feel more guilty when I ruin a rest day and it impacts my workout day.

    And I am in for a dozen...doughnut holes.
  • moniqueloupe
    moniqueloupe Posts: 4
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    You might be over-thinking your on days if you feel "guilty" on your off days. And is the feeling you have really guilt? Fear? Burn out? Self-pity (humor me)? Lots of feelings and obsessing disguise themselves as anxiety and guilt.
  • therealklane
    therealklane Posts: 2,172 Member
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    I feel guilty on rest days, especially when I hadn't intended it to be a rest day. My feet and ankles are giving me hell (bunion in both feet, issue with achilles tendon in left foot, broken toenails, and a combination of dropping things on my feet and stepping on things barefoot... :frown: ) and even with the doctor giving me shots in my toes and telling me to chill out, I still feel like I don't have time to slow down. I know I *need* to or my body is going to make me.

    At this point, I feel like I've come so far that I just can't to give myself the opportunity backslide any. I hate feeling this way and something has to change.

    Amazing that you can go from zero exercise to too much exercise in a short amount of time (at least in my case) and needing to take a break has such an affect on your emotions..
  • smarieallen85
    smarieallen85 Posts: 535 Member
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    You might be over-thinking your on days if you feel "guilty" on your off days. And is the feeling you have really guilt? Fear? Burn out? Self-pity (humor me)? Lots of feelings and obsessing disguise themselves as anxiety and guilt.

    Haha no...not fear or self pity or burnt out. Not sure where you got this. Just feel like I should be working :)
  • RedArizona5
    RedArizona5 Posts: 465 Member
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    Does anyone else feel guilty on rest days? I'm exhausted today and my legs are killing me. Even though it was supposed to be upper body day, I took a rest. It'll be the first since Saturday which seems like a good idea, right? I'm just kind of an anxious person and taking a rest makes me feel like I won't hit all my goals for the week.
    Yeah i agree with the ones who used to. I still do have thoughts like hmmm in the back of my mind. I guess its cause I don't strength train enough?? So when Im done with mega cardio and elliptical I am like hmmm ok i ran a lot and pushed through high resistance on elliptical twice-3 times a week but what bout tomorrow to start stomach or legs or arms? And then my body says I DONT THINK SO :laugh:
  • CipherZero
    CipherZero Posts: 1,418 Member
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    Does anyone else feel guilty on rest days?

    Not in the least. Rest and recovery are where muscle building by adaptation takes place,
  • RECowgill
    RECowgill Posts: 881 Member
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    Guilty on rest days? Hell no.

    Without rest and lots of it, there can be no progress. My time in the gym is rare and precious, I don't get much of it. If I go and then don't follow it up with proper rest, I feel awful for wasting my gym time.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
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    I so don't feel guilty on rest days! I think of it as my body healing up for the next round!
  • runnerchick69
    runnerchick69 Posts: 317 Member
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    Oh for sure! I take a rest day when I feel like I need one but that isn't often. Even on my rest days I'm out doing something because that is just how I'm wired :wink: As someone who dealt with obesity for a very long time it is hard to not feel lazy when I take a rest day. It is hard for people to understand who've never dealt with being obese but it is something people like me deal with daily. I know logically I won't gain all the weight back from taking a rest day but there is always that little voice in the back of my head....
  • iheartinsanity
    iheartinsanity Posts: 205 Member
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    I used to, and for me it's what caused me to constantly burn out. Enjoy it! Can you go for a hike or walk? I live in the PNW so I do my active rest days as a smaller hike, and watch how much I eat those days. Not as crazy hard, but still enough movement to create an expenditure. :)
  • smarieallen85
    smarieallen85 Posts: 535 Member
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    Yeah, I live in Brooklyn but I'm close to a beautiful park. I should spend more time walking around up there when I need a break.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
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    Never! i enjoy at least one day of rest, always, every week. If I feel I need it (or if life gets in the way), I'll take another day off - and every couple of months I take a full rest week. Sometimes I am still active in jumping on some yard work that needs to be done, walking my dogs a little further or things like that, sometimes I am full on lazy and pretty much camp out in my recliner all day. Both beneficial. :smile:

    I always enjoy the break and as others have said, I come back refreshed and ready to rock. :drinker:
  • therealklane
    therealklane Posts: 2,172 Member
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    It is hard for people to understand who've never dealt with being obese but it is something people like me deal with daily. I know logically I won't gain all the weight back from taking a rest day but there is always that little voice in the back of my head....

    You said what I couldn't put into words for myself. Hits very close to home.

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