Take a REST!

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suzitkd
suzitkd Posts: 110
in Fitness and Exercise
I've been pushing myself to work out every day (can't face the thought of only eating 1,200 calories lol!) but I know that I should be taking rest days occassionally, but wasn't sure what that really meant (are we talking stay in bed for the day, or is it still OK to go for a 40 minute walk or swim etc.?) and what the benefits of the rest day are to our system.

I found this site: [link]http://www.fitsugar.com/Benefits-Active-Rest-1139889[/link] which has this to say about what it calls 'active rest'

"The term "active rest" seems a bit oxymoronic, don't you think? It is actually a great practice and I am going tell you about it since I actively believe in it.

If you are training hard, for a race or bikini season, you need to take rest days – at least one and up to three a week. Adequate rest can help prevent repetitive stress injuries, a common side effect of over training. But a day off shouldn't necessarily be about strengthening your relationship with your couch. Being moderately active can actually help your body recover, hence the term "active rest." Getting your heart rate up helps to get your blood flowing, bringing oxygen and nutrients to muscles damaged by working out. Getting your blood pumping will also help flush away waste products like lactic acid that can build up in muscles post exercise.

For details on how to make your rest days work for you, read more.

Here are the guidelines to follow when adding active rest to your workout schedule:

Work out at a moderate rate – you should be able to carry on a conversation easily. If you have no one to talk to, you should be able to recite the "Pledge of Allegiance" without pausing to catch your breath. You might have trouble remembering the words. Here's a refresher course on the pledge if you haven't recited it in years.
You should not work above 65 percent of your maximum heart rate. To do so can bring on the production of lactic acid and that is a substance you are trying to flush from your muscles. Your max heart rate is 220 minus your age. Check out the Fit Calculator to learn more about your target heart rate. Sixty-five percent is generally in the "fat burning zone" on most cardio machines.
You should work out for at least 20 minutes, but remember not to over do it.
You should take active rest days one to three days a week.
Some ideas for active rest exercise: a power walk, a bike ride about town (avoiding serious climbs, of course), or a leisurely paced swim.

What are you waiting for? Get busy and rest!"

I found this very useful as I still would like to do a bit of exercise even on my 'rest' day - so it seems keeping my heartbeat low but still getting out and moving for a while will help flush those toxins and built up lactic acid from my muscles - and I can still burn a few calories and not have to starve that day!

Replies

  • BeastieGirl
    BeastieGirl Posts: 76
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    This is really interesting as I find it hard to do nothing on my rest days. I usually go mad with housework, but it's good to know I could go for a gentle walk or leisurely swim. I often take a few days off the gym after a long walk as I just get wiped out, and thn I usually swim and spend some time in the steam room.

    Thanks for posting this, it was really useful xx
  • ashlinmarie
    ashlinmarie Posts: 1,263 Member
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    I'm glad I found this! I have been working out every day for the last week and 13/14 of the last two weeks and have felt fine. However, today I went to do my strength workout and it was like I was exhausted from the first squat, the first pushup...the first everything. I pushed through, unsure if my body was telling me to rest or if it was something I just needed to fight through to get stronger. Today, I fought, but after reading this, maybe tomorrow I will settle for a short bike ride after work and resume my running on Friday.

    I thought doing C25K and strength straining (mostly core and upper body) on alternating days would give me ample time to rest, but apparently I should give it a bit more. I am just terrified of finding myself making further excuses to not go which is why I split it up and do about 30-40 minutes a day at the gym (including stretches).
  • chrisdavy239
    chrisdavy239 Posts: 21 Member
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    REST IS A WEAPON - use it!

    Especially if you guys are doing intense workouts, your rest periods and recovery days are the times that your body adjusts to the stresses you have put it under and gets stronger. In addition to rest days each week, I would reccommend a recovery week one in every four. It's desperately hard to have the discipline not to train really hard, or take a session or two off, but I promise you'll notice the differece if you do. Your training should have a 'cyclic' nature about it - train, train harder, train hardest, recover... repeat.

    Macro cycles like this over weeks, and micro cycles within weeks will leave you more energised and performing better in each workout.

    There is no way the body can improve if it doesn't recover at some point.

    Hope that helps :-)

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