How important is a rest day? I need answers please!

Hi

I know what you mean, as I have worked out constantly for the last month in the gym and I can definately see the results - but I was wondering the same thing, should I have one day off, but again like yourself, would feel I had cheated if I did not go to the gym (just my personal opinion) as I am very dedicated

Cardio is fine every day. Weight training requires you cycle your muscle groups daily so the same ones aren't worked twice in a row as they grow and repair for up to 72(I think..?) hours after being worked. If you're too sore, take a break. Otherwise, do as you see fit.

A body in motion tends to stay in motion It is a good thing.

Mind you, I am no expert...Take a half hour walk, practice yoga, play with kids, clean house or something that doesn't feel like exercise, but is still activity. That will help you in every aspect.

I haven't been doing a 'rest day' every week but I do a 'different day' instead. I usually do a gym workout but once a week I change it up. Today, my dh and I are going on a long hike!

I haven't been doing a 'rest day' every week but I do a 'different day' instead. I usually do a gym workout but once a week I change it up. Today, my dh and I are going on a long hike!

This is probably a good idea too. You can let some muscle groups repair themselves while you work out others. We went sledding yesterday, and it was a blast.

I am just like you, working out everyday since Ive started a week ago. Yesterday was supposed to be a rest day, but the guilt ate me up enough to do some cardio. I just did 20 min on the elliptical. Easy enough, maybe if you are feeling tired or run down, take a rest day. If not, and you are feeling good, cardio is good for any day!

I'm not an expert, but I will share my recent findings.

I have never been able to take rest days. I understand what you mean 100%. I don't feel right/have a good day if I haven't gotten a good workout in. So I worked out every day.

Beginning of this week, my body shut down on me. I had "Over training Syndrome" which included not being able to move my back, my knees in horrible pain, sore throat, irritable, crying....really weird. That tapered off into laryngitis. Instead of one day off I was out of the gym for a sucky 5 days :-(.

Now I was really pushing hard as I am training to become a group exercise instructor so my situation may be a little extreme, but its an example of what can happen when you ignore your body's signals for too long--so just listen to your body.

Yeah - it is not critical to "do nothing" one day - it's not unhealthy to be active every day - people in other countries often walk one to two miles a day just getting to errands and work. What is unhealthy is overtraining, and if you are tired or run down, you should definitely allow yourself to rest. Furthermore, if you're doing a lot of interval or more intense cardio, as with resistance training, you need a rest from that. There is no reason why your "rest" or "other" day can't just have some gentle yoga, a low-training-zone steady-state cardio for even 15 minutes, or a long walk outside. Any of those sorts of things should leave you with a BIT of post-workout glow and good endorphins but without the full-throttle drive. I often have weeks where I miss it badly when I don't workout, and some where I do not take a rest day - then this past week, I've had so much craziness I only worked out once. I'm not happy about it but can cut myself a break and know I'll be back to 5 - 6 days a week next week. Anyway, in an intense week, I like to definitely do some walking and stretching and stuff on my "off" day - I just want to feel my body move and breathe.

If you feel GUILTY for not exercising, well, that's something else all together and you might want to look at that closer.

Take it from a permanently injured person... rest days are important!

Rest day are helpful as even with cardio centric programs your body uses the rest to heal and build muscle fibers. That having been said, psychologically one or two days in seven of a good 20 min stretch (to tension not to pain) can help the mind. Consider maybe some tai chi or qigong on those days. I base this on principles learned during my time as an Army Master fitness trainer.

I only do 40 mins of cardio a day, and this is my 22nd consecutive day (started on 1st of Jan).

It's not that I'd feel guiltly if I had a rest day, it's that working out puts me in good mood and makes me feel more energetic.
If I end up having a day where I can't work out (such as if I have a christening, wedding etc...) then that will be fine. But when I can work out, I will.

Everyone is different.

its important for a rest day your muscles need to repair themselves so they can become stronger

Rest days are just as important as is getting enough sleep, exercising regularly and eating balanced nutrition. Work to find a balance in these 4 areas for the best success.

Keep in mind your muscles grow and repair themselves while you rest, not while you work out. You need to give them that rest to repair. That's why people who lift a lot won't lift the same muscle groups every day.

Have at least 1 day off a week. You need it for muscular repair and central nervous system recovery. In a dieted state, recovery is limited and over doing it will tire you out, slow you down, make the weights you lift lighter, the cardio you do slower than optimum and increases the chance of muscular/tendon damage. It also allows a day for the body to recharge its glycogen stores which will charge the metabolism and get it releasing leptin so your metabolism doesn't get too slow.

In short, have a day off!