Do I Really Need a Rest Day?

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lindalee0315
lindalee0315 Posts: 527 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have literally worked out for months with no rest day. In the last week, the scale jumped up several pounds. Today, I only burned 459 calories in a workout I normally burn between 600-650 calories doing. I don't feel particularly tired or anything, but I am getting very discouraged. I enjoy working out, so it's not like a chore to me, and I feel extraordinarily guilty even considering a rest day. Any thoughts?
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Replies

  • JesaGrace
    JesaGrace Posts: 799 Member
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    I think rest days are good....your muscles and body probably need the rest....it might help....
  • Djbass728
    Djbass728 Posts: 71 Member
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    I wasn't going anywhere losing weight - I was excersising everyday and was sore the next day most times. I was told to take rest days and I started dropping weight like crazy!!!!
  • Egger29
    Egger29 Posts: 14,741 Member
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    When you overload your muscles, they get stronger IN BETWEEN workouts...not During the workouts. You challenge your body to do things and it adapts itself to the stress in so that it's better prepared to handle the stimulus the next time around.

    Giving your body that additional time to recover allows you to push harder the next workout since you'll be that much stronger.

    Overtraining without any rest eventually leads to plateaus and even a reversal of progress.
  • rmsrws
    rmsrws Posts: 639 Member
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    I don't take rest days. I say to myself I am going to, but then I feel guilty. There are days I do less, but if I don't do something, I feel like I am letting myself down!
  • sauza
    sauza Posts: 159 Member
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    I don't like taking a break either BUT most successful athletes whom I would choose to emulate do take breaks, so.....On my day off I do yoga and still jog/walk the dog for 90 minutes, but that seems to be the break my body requires.
  • natskedat
    natskedat Posts: 570 Member
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    Yes! Your muscles need time to repair! When you give them time to adapt to what you're demanding from them, you'll find the exercise is easier and the weight will come off easier. In the world of exercise and fitness, the pros will all tell you that more is NOT necessarily better.
  • RunHardBeStrong
    RunHardBeStrong Posts: 33,069 Member
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    Yes you need at least one a week. We tear the muscle/body down when we workout. It's the rest day that let's them rebuild making them stronger! It is very beneficial! Your muscles are probably holding water desperately trying to repair themselves hence the not losing. You can do yoga or a light walk on a rest day but nothing strenous! Good luck!
  • OLP76
    OLP76 Posts: 768 Member
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    You may not like 'REST DAYS' - but your body does NEED it...it needs to refuel - doesn't mean go eat junkfood to the extreme or just sit on your *kitten* all day on rest days..you can do other things - just light stuff. If you feel the need to 'workout'...

    If the scale isn't movin' - you able to change up your meal plan...Your body may be gettin' use to what you are eatin' etc....

    trial & error...it's a learnin' process all the way :wink:
  • nycegurl74
    nycegurl74 Posts: 26 Member
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    I think atleast 1 rest day is good it gives your body time to recover from all the stress it has went threw throughout the week
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
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    I find an active rest day works for me. Just do something different to your normal routine that's low-impact so your body gets time to recover. I like walking and swimming, and you'll get a cheeky few hundred calories burnt too :-)

    Anecdotal evidence seems to support the fact that people lose after adding enough rest if they've hit a plateau working their butts off.
  • ChrisR0128
    ChrisR0128 Posts: 86
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    I didnt like taking rest days off either. But my body needed them. I kept getting minor nagging injuries, nothing major. I started taking a day off at least once a week. if I push really hard I might take a day off every 2 or 3 days. Since I started doing this No injuries. I listen to what my body tells me now not what I want.
  • AllyS7
    AllyS7 Posts: 480 Member
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    I don't like to take complete 'rest' days. I like the idea of 'active rest days' doing something else, working another muscle group. But, if you are starting to get discouraged maybe your mind/spirt needs a rest day?
  • lindalee0315
    lindalee0315 Posts: 527 Member
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    Thank you, everyone. I've been reading a little bit about it, and I think I will plan a rest day this week. I'll still do yoga or something (a day is not a day without yoga), but I won't do my normal routine. Even thinking about it makes me nervous.
  • seemichellerun
    seemichellerun Posts: 219
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    I feel it depends on the type of workouts you're doing. If you're doing really intense workouts like weight training, kickboxing, running, etc., then YES take a rest day.

    If you're doing low impact workouts like walking, yoga, or beginner pilates, then I see no problems with doing something like that every day.
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
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    Part of the human condition (and if you're a structural engineer, you'll recognize this as "fatigue") is that our bodies can adapt to almost any situation if it's implemented gradually enough, right up until the point of failure. In other words, you may not feel bad, but if you haven't given your body days to recover, there's probably some wear and tear that's gone on, they call them stress fractures or muscle fatigue, Professional pitchers call it "dead arm". They're all the same thing, you work some bone or muscle or ligament to hard and it fatigues and wears down.

    So yeah, you really need to give yourself a day or two off every 5 or 6 days.
  • sdirbder
    sdirbder Posts: 159 Member
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    I didnt read most of the posts above but when I take a rest day I just dont do as much as I usually do. I might go for a walk outside or something else "easy".
  • SoUnaware
    SoUnaware Posts: 85 Member
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    If you're doing strength training, your muscles need a day off to recover.
    Otherwise, I've read that you can do your cardio and stuff on a daily basis, however once every two or three months, you need to take a WEEK off, if you're working out every day. Because in the end, your body does need a chance to recover.
    Also, just pay attention to your body. You know you need a break if
    a.)your heart rate is above normal, especially when you wake up in the morning
    b.) you're having trouble sleeping
    There's probably more signs, but I'm not an expert in this area.
  • Goal_Seeker_1988
    Goal_Seeker_1988 Posts: 1,619 Member
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    I weight train 6 days a week however if my body needs a day off it lets me know and I give it a rest day. Listen to your body, it'll tell ya what it needs!!!
  • jenniferlspies
    jenniferlspies Posts: 75
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    I don't take rest days where I don't workout at all, but I take active rest days where I don't exercise as much or go at a lower intensity. Right now, since I'm doing 30 Day Shred, it means that I switch between just doing 30 Day Shred and doing it in combination with jogging intervals. But, I'm also paying attention to my body and not pushing myself to the point of injury.
  • johnwhitent
    johnwhitent Posts: 648 Member
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    I normally take one rest day a week, but last week we had a big family celebration with people from all over the country visiting and some staying with us, which caused me to miss three consecutive days of exercise. I had my best run ever the first day back and I feel so invigorated! I may plan some more of those breaks maybe a couple of times a year. This is an incredible feeling - I just can't wait to exercise again!

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