Reasonable/safe for me to do a 30 minute workout every day?

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Schluey
Schluey Posts: 8 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I have been exercising 30 minutes (moderate pace, bike) each morning and I like the routine of just getting up and working out as soon as I wake up. People keep telling me I need to take a rest day every week, but I am concerned that doing so might derail my efforts. Any thoughts on this? I feel like I have taken enough "rest days" prior to starting this lifestyle change to last me for quite a few years. Also, I don't really want to give up the extra earned calories for the day...

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  • goldmay
    goldmay Posts: 258 Member
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    If you're only doing cardio and you don't feel really sore the next day, I think it should be fine. But it won't be the end of the world if you take a rest day. Just pay attention to how you're feeling and take a day off or lower your intensity on some days if you need to.
  • cantfail
    cantfail Posts: 169 Member
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    The "rest day" is primarily for weight training. You want to give your muscles time to heal before working them hard with weights again. There is nothing wrong with doing cardio everyday. Especially if your cardio consists of 30 minutes on a bike, it's fine.
  • futuremanda
    futuremanda Posts: 816 Member
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    You may not need a day off from *any* exercise, but it would probably benefit you to rest the muscle groups you've been working so hard (lower body). You could try an upper-body-focused workout from YouTube, for example. Or you could take an "active rest day", where you do an activity that uses your muscles less intensely -- example, a long walk at a comfortable pace, or a leisurely swim, or some flexibility-focused (not strength-focused) yoga. Active rest can, in many cases, speed recovery.

    If you like biking, and are biking outdoors (I can't tell), you could choose a challenging route some days, with hills and an effort at speed, and bike more gently, on even surfaces, with more gliding, on your rest day.

    Your muscles build during rest, so it's pretty important. But that doesn't mean you have to sit around the whole day!
  • fivethreeone
    fivethreeone Posts: 8,196 Member
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    The "rest day" is primarily for weight training. You want to give your muscles time to heal before working them hard with weights again. There is nothing wrong with doing cardio everyday. Especially if your cardio consists of 30 minutes on a bike, it's fine.

    The rest day is not primarily for weight training, it is primarily to keep people from overdoing it. If you run every day, you better believe your body needs time to recuperate.

    That said, OP, you may not need a rest day now or at any time soon, but if one day you wake up and feel like a day off would be helpful to your body, take the day off.
  • WaterBunnie
    WaterBunnie Posts: 1,370 Member
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    Doing the same exercise every day won't be as beneficial as mixing activities as you'll only be working the same muscles each time.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    The "rest day" is primarily for weight training.

    Rest days apply to any training, as the system is stressed then there's a need to allow recovery.

    Clearly it depends on intensity and how specific the stress is. In that sense it pays dividends to cross train, rather than doing the same thing every session.
    You want to give your muscles time to heal before working them hard with weights again. There is nothing wrong with doing cardio everyday. Especially if your cardio consists of 30 minutes on a bike, it's fine.

    For 30 minutes of low intensity, probably right. 30 minutes at tempo or interval training would probably benefit from a break.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    I wouldn't think 30 minutes of easy riding would require a rest day. Rest days are important but you have to put everything into context...the more you're doing and the greater intensity to which you are doing them will determine how much rest you need from that activity.

    I pretty much cycle for an hour every day and average about 75 - 80 miles per week and I lift 3x weekly...I need a rest day and usually take in on Sunday. My rides are generally varying degrees of intensity from sprints to big climbs, to nice flat speed rides etc.

    But even on a rest day, I'm pretty generally active...I usually take the dog for a walk (about 3 miles) and then I have my outside chores like mowing the lawn and pulling weeds, etc. In the late mornings and afternoons we take the kiddos to the zoo or aquarium or botanical gardens or for a nature trail walk or to the pool, etc.

    People have this notion that taking a rest day means you just go sit on your *kitten* and do jack ****...it can be that way I suppose but certainly doesn't have to be. A rest day is just rest from vigorous levels of effort for which your body needs recovery.
  • heidibalanow1
    heidibalanow1 Posts: 3 Member
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    HI. Ive been working out... 30 min cardio and a strength training of some muscle group every day... 7 days a week since February.
    I had a minor surgery last week so I missed that day and I ve missed like 4 other days but...seriously 7 days a week. At least 3-4 days I go back for a second 30 minute cardio workout. I feel great. I've never had more energy. I'm 40 yrs old and I find myself dancing around the house and not wanting to sit in front of tv or computer. Ok if I'm honest there were days in there where I could barely do it...but that was mental not physical. I still made myself go...if I could only take 15 minutes...that's what I did. I'd go back later and do some more.
    For me ... I'm afraid of rest days..what if I get out of the habit? I still have a long way to go. Lost 84...still need to lose 66.
    Good luck.
  • Schluey
    Schluey Posts: 8 Member
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    Thanks for the info, everyone! I am riding a stationary bike at level 8 resistance for 30 minutes, burning about 225 - 275 calories per workout. I assume that's on the light to moderate level of cardio intensity. I think I'll mix it up a bit and maybe take a long walk a few times a week instead of riding the bike. I appreciate the your responses, this whole exercise and healthy eating thing is a bit of a mystery to me. ;)
  • Schluey
    Schluey Posts: 8 Member
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    Yeah, that's my fear as well...I don't want to get out of the habit or break my streak. I guess I need to realize I control the outcome of my exercising.
  • caracrawford1
    caracrawford1 Posts: 657 Member
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    We are talking about only thirty minutes a day. I'm not knocking that--thats great-- but with under an hour of working out a day, you are unlikely to be at risk of overtraining or injury. If you do feel sore and tired, by all means, take a rest day. Listen to your body.

    Before I ran my first marathon, I was overtraining and wouldn't listen to anyone who told me to stop-- but I was doing 10-13 miles a day (1.5-2hrs running) and got stress fracture. I've since smartened up and train smarter, not harder and have run 7 marathons thus far.
    You need to keep in perspective what you're doing and how you feel. One good measure I was given--if you resting heart rate goes up ten beats or more and you feel tired a lot, take a break.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    30 minutes everyday should be fine without needing a rest, but of course listen to your body.

    also OP you might find that there may be a few people in your life who will start to become naysayers about exercise and who will try to talk you out of doing it for fear of overtraining.

    9 times out of 10 these are people who dont do anything and think 60 minutes a day of activity is excessive while they dont see anything wrong with 5+ hours a day of being a couch potato. the human body was designed to move, so 30 minutes a day isnt going to kill you.

    keep up the good work
  • CallMeCupcakeDammit
    CallMeCupcakeDammit Posts: 9,377 Member
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    The "rest day" is primarily for weight training. You want to give your muscles time to heal before working them hard with weights again. There is nothing wrong with doing cardio everyday. Especially if your cardio consists of 30 minutes on a bike, it's fine.

    The rest day is not primarily for weight training, it is primarily to keep people from overdoing it. If you run every day, you better believe your body needs time to recuperate.

    That said, OP, you may not need a rest day now or at any time soon, but if one day you wake up and feel like a day off would be helpful to your body, take the day off.

    Yes.
  • PetulantOne
    PetulantOne Posts: 2,131 Member
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    The "rest day" is primarily for weight training. You want to give your muscles time to heal before working them hard with weights again. There is nothing wrong with doing cardio everyday. Especially if your cardio consists of 30 minutes on a bike, it's fine.

    The rest day is not primarily for weight training, it is primarily to keep people from overdoing it. If you run every day, you better believe your body needs time to recuperate.

    That said, OP, you may not need a rest day now or at any time soon, but if one day you wake up and feel like a day off would be helpful to your body, take the day off.

    This x 1,000
  • FindingAmy77
    FindingAmy77 Posts: 1,266 Member
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    I walk every day for a couple of hours roundtrip. you dont need a rest day unless you are training super hard in my oppinion

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