Rest days?

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avalonfloyd
avalonfloyd Posts: 44
in Fitness and Exercise
I have a question. I know that you are supposed to have a day off from exercising (my aunt is a PE teacher and told me so! lol), but I don't really do it. I find that if I take a day off, I lose my momentum and don't want to work out the next day. I have the occasional day off, just from life getting in the way, but I don't really schedule a day off. My question is whether I should really, definately, always be taking a day off? If I really should, then I guess I'll just have to make myself and struggle with the post-day off malaise, and get my butt in gear! lol. Or could I just do a lighter workout, like half of my usual routine? I usually do around 15 minutes on the elliptical and 30 on a stationary bike, and I've recently taken up jogging a mile a day. If I just did half of the equipment time and maybe walked my mile, would that be okay?

Any suggestions?

Replies

  • elliecolorado
    elliecolorado Posts: 1,040
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    Personally I lose momentum too when I take a day off and it is a struggle to get going again the next day. I rarely take a day off. I only take a day off if I am getting really sore. I have in the past had a tendency to push myself until I hurt myself, so I am making myself take a day off when I am sore. But I think as long as you aren't hurting yourself there is no problem with working out every day.
  • bmontgomery87
    bmontgomery87 Posts: 1,260 Member
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    Yes.
    Depends on what type of training you're doing. But having a rest day is great.
    Your body needs time to recover and repair damaged muscles.

    I usually take saturday or sunday off. Nothing wrong with taking a walk on those days, you don't have to be sedentary.

    Overtraining is taxing on your body and can be hard on your CNS, and your immune system.
  • Kimdbro
    Kimdbro Posts: 922 Member
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    Yes.
    Depends on what type of training you're doing. But having a rest day is great.
    Your body needs time to recover and repair damaged muscles.

    I usually take saturday or sunday off. Nothing wrong with taking a walk on those days, you don't have to be sedentary.

    Overtraining is taxing on your body and can be hard on your CNS, and your immune system.

    I agree, taking a 'rest day' doesn't mean sit on the couch. If you work out an hour hard each day, then your rest day can still consist of a light swim, a walk, a bike ride. This way you're still maintaining your regiment without a defined break, but still allowing your body to repair.
  • thebamboophoenix
    thebamboophoenix Posts: 58 Member
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    I sometimes take a day off - but usually because I really need to do something else e.g. housework or gardening or something so at least I'm still 'active' in a sense...
    I think do what feels right for you, and what works for you.
  • leebluejay
    leebluejay Posts: 10
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    Well, it's a good idea to give your muscles a day off. However, you could cross train on your "off day" and work on different muscle groups. For instance, sounds like you mainly use your legs only. On your off day, you could lift free weights, do some ab work, push ups, etc. Anything that will focus on your core strength and upper body. Then you can give your legs a break while continuing to move and burn calories/build muscle. I know what you mean--sometimes when I take a day off, I dead legs the next day, but I just have to power through it. Hope this helps!
  • outersoul
    outersoul Posts: 711
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    I've found that taking two days off a week can really help me. One day I get in a walk, but no running or lifting and the other day I don't exercise at all. My body is usually pretty happy when I do.
  • hellokittymfp
    hellokittymfp Posts: 21
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    I was working out about 3x a wk and just recently boosted it up to 5-6x a wk a couple wks ago. I'm seeing the same thing that you are seeing. If I take a rest day, it makes it so much harder to get back into it again. I just try to make sure when I do exercise that I do not over-push myself and cause injury. I also do 3 different types of workouts and I think that helps to keep things interesting and to work different muscles throughout the wk, not the same ones over and over again.
  • f1ashuga
    f1ashuga Posts: 4
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    Taking a day off is good for your body but from what I find it is not necessary. A lighter workout in my opinion is better. You need to give your muscles some type of way to recover when you are not always pushing them to the max so that you dont cause yourself some type of muscle trauma
  • avalonfloyd
    avalonfloyd Posts: 44
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    Well, it's a good idea to give your muscles a day off. However, you could cross train on your "off day" and work on different muscle groups. For instance, sounds like you mainly use your legs only. On your off day, you could lift free weights, do some ab work, push ups, etc. Anything that will focus on your core strength and upper body. Then you can give your legs a break while continuing to move and burn calories/build muscle. I know what you mean--sometimes when I take a day off, I dead legs the next day, but I just have to power through it. Hope this helps!

    That sounds like a good idea. I have started doing push ups this month - trying to keep my body guessing by changing up my routine every month. I've got some weights, so I might try that. Thanks!
  • LindaSueBakk
    LindaSueBakk Posts: 145 Member
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    I think you really only need a day off if your muscles are sore. I never take a day off unless life intervenes - just make sure to do different things, which I know you do!
  • bmontgomery87
    bmontgomery87 Posts: 1,260 Member
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    I tend to overwork myself so I know its hard to make urself take a day off.
    But like people above mentioned. An "off" day doesn't have to be sedentary.

    You just need to reduce your load to allow your bod to actively recover. Nothing wrong with walking or being active on your off day.

    Don't use soreness as a signal that you're overtraining. There's been times when I've went a month without being sore. Other weeks I'm sore every day. Acid building up in your muscles causes soreness, so that is no way to guage if you're training too hard. I work out several days a week while I"m sore, but I know I need a day or two off once a week. And every 6-8 weeks I take a deload week (or atleast a 3-4 day weekend) where I reduce my work load and let my body recover. It's a great way to break through a plateau.

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