Basic question really....

I take an active rest day by going for a hike and one complete day off and work out regularly the other 5 days.

Low intensity training is fine everyday but one has to be careful not to burn out. Chances are low intensity probably won't hurt you physically you can recover quickly enough, but it might get boring. But if you increase pressure-to keep it interesting- you will need more time to rest as well. Yoga is ok everyday IMHO.

It depends on your level of fitness and what kind of exercise you are doing and how much. A new runner probably should run every other day at most for a while, to build up muscle, tendon and joint strength, rather than every day or even several in a row. A very experienced one may be able to do a daily running streak that lasts for years without issue. If you're running easy for 2-3 miles you'll need less rest than if you're following a challenging training plan that has you running 70+ mpw with hard workouts. If you're lifting weights, then you need breaks to let your muscles heal, but you can do other activities on non-lifting days. I walk every day, but I've been doing that for years, so it isn't a stress on my body. It would be if I were carrying a pack and climbing mountains rather than strolling with my dog through the neighborhood. Then I'd need rest days every week or so. Mixing up your activities, doing some easy low impact days, and resting when you need to mean you can be active every day or almost every day if you want. But I wouldn't recommend it to someone just starting out.

jeanettemahon499 wrote: »

Hi everyone, I have a question: which is best-exercising every day or having a rest day in between? I am confused by the conflicting information/advice I am reading lately. I currently do home exercise (low impact aerobics, yoga style etc) daily up to a max of 50 mins. However, I am reading that muscles need to rest and repair? Your thoughts/advice/comments will be well appreciated. Thanks in anticipation. x

This is something that really depends on context. Generally, you need more rest and recovery when performing more strenuous exercise that stresses the body and tears it down...you need the recovery to build it back up. This is why people who lift weight will typically do a full body program 3x per week with time in between workouts or they do a split to where they can work on consecutive days, but they will work different muscle groups. Same for more strenuous cardio bouts...either in regards to distance and duration and intensity of the work.

What you describe I would generally say any full stop rest day is likely not necessary, with the caveat being your current fitness level. If you are coming from a more or less sedentary lifestyle and not particularly physically fit, you may require more rest and recovery...this doesn't necessarily have to be an every other day kind of thing.

I'm active most every day of the week, but my work is also variable in intensity and duration...I have some very hard days and other days are easier to very lite work. A rest/recovery day for me would generally include a 2.5-3 mile walk at some point and either an easy cruise on my road bike or trail bike or some yoga...maybe both.

If you're doing low impact as you say, you're probably fine. Rest days are most helpful when you're doing high impact, or if you're starting a new routine. If you've already 'worked into' doing low impact daily, and you aren't feeling sore, you're good to go!