We are pleased to announce that on March 4, 2025, an updated Rich Text Editor will be introduced in the MyFitnessPal Community. To learn more about the upcoming changes, please click here. We look forward to sharing this new feature with you!

REST DAYS

daz60
daz60 Posts: 22
edited December 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
Who has rest days? if so how many a week? and do you feel better after it?....i myself have 2 rest days a week and feel better, i think its important to give the legs, arms and everything a proper rest even tho my mind is screaming exercise! exercise! exercise! every day or you wont lose weight lol.
What are your views on this.

Replies

  • mrsnathanandrew
    mrsnathanandrew Posts: 631 Member
    I take 1 a day. Workout Sunday-Friday. I wish I could go every day, but I know that's not good for you, as your body does need rest.
  • TamaraHaase
    TamaraHaase Posts: 39 Member
    I take off Wednesday and Sunday, and it is amazing how much it helps.
  • itgeekwoman
    itgeekwoman Posts: 804 Member
    I have 3 days a week rest. My workouts are typically 1 hour of intense supersets. I workout Monday and take Tue and Wed off to repair work out Thursday, repair Friday and workout Sat. I do my cardio and cycling on Sunday.

    I also eat quite differently on the repair days with more fruit and peppers and foods that will assist with muscle repair.

    I used to work out 6 days a week sometimes 2 times a day. I wasn't losing weight or many inches. I started taking days off and since them I'm down 17lbs.
  • katejenkins1
    katejenkins1 Posts: 210 Member
    I have 1-2 rest days, depending on the week. I feel so much better, even though a little guilty.
    My thought on this is, I am changing how I run my life, food, exercise, taking 'time-outs" (for mental strength)
    I don't want to gain any of the weight back so I plan my meals and exercise in a way that I will be able to continue it. Too extreme on either side and I would burn out.
  • indiralaksmi
    indiralaksmi Posts: 11
    my official rest day is Thursday. But I often take another one when I dont feel like to exercise or sick or just too tired.
  • islaybower
    islaybower Posts: 57
    I have at least one rest day a week (I'll usually go for a walk or something, but only a leisurely one with my kids) and I always notice a slight improvement in my cardio and strength on my first day back after resting compared to my sixth day of exercising.

    Some weeks I take two rest days, if I've really pushed myself (e.g. worked out twice a day for a few days).

    I hate not having exercise calories to eat though - my appetite is enormous at all times!
  • Nikiki
    Nikiki Posts: 993
    I take 1 day at least, sometimes more depending on how I'm feeling. And I agree, I think its vital to let your body repair itself. My husband does intense lifting and he takes 1 day off a week and then about every 4-5 weeks he'll take a full week off just doing some walking.
  • daz60
    daz60 Posts: 22
    That's interesting you saying about what you use to do as i have had a similar experience. 1 week i worked out loads and ate reasonably well and lost nothing! then the following week i worked out less and ate the same and lost 2.5lbs! so overdoing it aint the right way to go.
  • prism6
    prism6 Posts: 484 Member
    I guess I don't do rest days,but there are days,like today when it isn't the gym ,but a day of meandering instead..
  • runnercheryl
    runnercheryl Posts: 1,314 Member
    One day, at least. Sunday is my dedicated rest day, and I rest on other days only if I don't have time to work out. I hate resting when it's happening - I feel lazy and 'heavy' - but it's necessary and I do savour the fact I can lie on the sofa a bit more and avoid going out if the weather's not great.
  • harlanJEN
    harlanJEN Posts: 1,089 Member
    2 rest days ... Sat and Sunday. I may take a walk ...but that's it. Just a strolling walk, not a WALK walk ......
  • HeatherR930
    HeatherR930 Posts: 214 Member
    I take one rest day. It is usually Sunday, but if I take a different day off during the week because something has come up or I'm just not feeling well, then I make it up on Sunday. However, on my rest day, I do take a short walk with my family or take my son to the park. I try to do some type of activity everyday, even if I don't do an intentional workout!
  • KazzaLee13
    KazzaLee13 Posts: 46
    I don't plan rest days. I workout every day if I can and my rest days happen if my body's really sore from my last workout but even those days I try to do a little something with the parts that are not aching. And if I don't have any then it's a proper full rest day and it probably happens once a week or once in two weeks.
    I try to alternate the parts of my body I'm working on so that they get a rest the next day when I'm working on the other parts.
  • MissMisery1313
    MissMisery1313 Posts: 119
    Wednesdays I'll do a just short yoga workout
    Saturday is my total rest day
  • lrcross
    lrcross Posts: 42
    I am two weeks in and I took this past Thursday "off". I still walked a moderate paced mile mid-day, but did not do my rigorous swimming. I still lost a pound, yet felt rested for the next day.
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    I only lift 3 times a week so....4 rest days.
    I lose 1% body fat per month while my lifts get heavier and heavier.
  • Mogwai1985
    Mogwai1985 Posts: 31
    Your body needs rest days in order to recover. If you do too much you can risk hurting yourself. Your body needs time to repair muscles. When I was lifting weights I gave myself two rest days from training. I would still walk a little bit but at a slower pace.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    My workouts are fairly high intensity with lifting, HIIT and biking. I do every other day so every other day is a rest day. Like Dan, I am dropping about 1% per month in BF. I am also 61 in 10 days so I'm guessing that might be a slight factor.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories