Could you stop if you had too?

I don't have that problem. I get a bit antsy when I haven't done anything for a while, but having had to take a few breaks in the past and with my lazy tendency I know I'd be fine.

Rest days are the hardest - I get very antsy.
I try to make that a day for watching a movie to take up time I might otherwise spend exercising.

Resting and exercise are both incredibly important in healthy exercise. I've heard that if you over exercise and not get enough rest, you could gain weight.
Yesterday I wanted to spend more time in the gym, but, I hadn't slept well the past 3 days. I decided to go home and get some rest, and go back to the gym today.
Once a week you should have a DOR. I usually choose a Saturday or Sunday, unless there is a weekday where I have more than 2 clients (I do in-home care as a CNA), then that day I spend away from the gym.

In terms of weight loss, it's important that you give your body time to rest, at least, it's important to me.

I cant stand it when I take a day off......who wouldve thought we would be this way! I used to talk myself out of working out, any excuse would do!! I have been dealing with some running injuries and it is killing me because I have had to "adjust" but atleast I am able to run some and not just totally stop it! But Yes if I had to stop doing what I love, I would find a replacement!

I love rest days.
I got better results when I stopped working out every day and swapped to a 3day split.

I kind of have to force myself to take rest days, but I know I need them. They are good for me and as important as the eating healthy and working out....I do get antsy though...and I have a "rule" 2 rest days in a row is my limit-the third consecutive day is no longer rest (barring illness/injury) it's slacking off. So that usually gets me back in the groove.

Exercise is such a huge part of my stress management that I really do miss it when I can't work out....I need the mood boost and to burn off that energy from stress/anxiety. Running helps clear my mind, and working out is my "me" time.

It's all about balance, and listening to my body, mind and soul. (the mind is often the hardest part to get on the right track, isn't it? lol)

Your workouts have become a habit. Plain and simple. A GOOD habit, thankfully, but that's how habits work. You do a thing repeatedly and you begin to feel you must have it every day. I am the same way, and so happy to have a healthy addiction instead of one that would destroy my body, mind or both.

Wow! All you guys who have trouble NOT working out - I really hope I can be like that some day. I guess it would help if I had a gym membership. Maybe then I'd get more out of working out (hard to stay motivated when my workouts are just boring floor exercises that I can do in a tiny apartment).

Hmmm Maybe I should start a fund for a gym membership- a Help the Fat Girl Get Healthy Fund. lol

I understand, if I have the time I work out 5 days a week, but right now I am not because I have a fitness test this week-and I am going crazy-it feels so nice to work out. I think that rest days/weeks are very important and not taking them does more harm than good.

I am OK taking the odd rest day, and have managed my work/home schedule to mean that the days I am too snowed under to exercise anyway are my rest days, so that works fine. But a prolonged rest period, weeks or even months, scares the c*** out of me. I think I would go crazy. I was chatting to a friend yesterday who has broken a bone in his wrist and isn't allowed to do anything at all, nothing using his arm (obviously) but no impact either because of the risk of dislodging something. And that is my idea of hell. He too is climbing the walls after only a week or so, and has three months to get through.

So I am with you there, I find it really hard to slow down, even if I know I should. I am hoping I never have to!

Rest days good.

Weeks lost to injury or illness bad. Do not like.

This is a great question. I have been doing at least 60 minutes of exercise everyday, 7 days a week most weeks. I recognize that I need to take a day (or 2) of rest, but when I "schedule" one of these days, I still run a mile or so and walk. I get very antsy and moody when I don't get to workout. It's one of those things that's hard to wrap my head around (like losing weight while eating 1800+ calories a day- it works!).

My question is, if you're feeling good and not sleep-deprived, is it truly harmful to exercise 7 days a week if you are switching up the workouts (step aerobics followed by a strength-training day followed by a Zumba day, etc.)?

StacySkinny - you just need to find something that works for you and you really enjoy, and that will be it You will come back for more and more and get addicted. There are that many sports / exercises and things out there now, you're bound to enjoy SOMETHING.

Try a bunch of different things and maybe you will find that one thing that gets you going and you enjoy!!

For me kickboxing was my thing. Then it's now spread and now I also love running and swimming. Also the fitter you get, the more different kinds of sports you can enjoy.

I'm ok with a rest day. But any more than three in a row, and I get stabby. If I had to take a long term break, I'm pretty sure I'd need to go back on an antidepressant.

You know how a cat can sleep for 23 hours straight, then gets The Zoomies, tears through the house, jumps up a wall, tears back through the house, then goes right back to sleep? I get like that. I need my zoomies, or I go nuts.

LOL - stabby - that sounds like me! I took my first rest day in a long time when I travelled for Thanksgiving and I was so crabby (and not too far from stabby) the next day. Thankfully there was snow to clean up at Mom's and it was nice enough out so we went for a walk. That helped A LOT! When I thought about it, I was amazed that I'd gotten to that point. I remember a few years ago when I made fun of my friend for being like that. We went on a trip and she HAD to go to the gym at the hotel or she was gonna go nuts. I thought about going with her but lazing around sounded much more fun to me. Now I'm just like her!

ETA: Re, the OP question. If my health depended on it, I would stop but I would try to find an alternative like the OP did. I'd try all the other machines in the gym to see if I could get my cardio in some other way (maybe bike?) and/or focus more on strength training.

I am TERRIBLE at taking rest days! I tried to take three days off a few months ago because I felt like I was overtraining (muscle soreness that didn't get better, higher heart rate than usual, trouble sleeping). I made it through two of the three days. On the third day, I thought 'I'll just take a walk'. That walk turned into 90 minutes of tough hill climbing. LOL

I take a rest day probably once every two weeks. I usually pick a weekday (workday) when I have less free time as my rest day. I love doing long workouts on the weekends, so I've actually never taken a rest day on Saturday or Sunday.

However, I don't have a problem taking rest days when I'm sick or injured. Several years ago, I had an acute bout of very severe vertigo. I couldn't stand or walk without falling over. I couldn't drive. I couldn't sit at my desk and do my computer job. I was bed-ridden for about two weeks. There was no way I could have exercised!