for those of you who exercise to help anxiety/depression

BeautyFromPain
BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
For those of you who exercise to help anxiety and/or depression, what happens when your rest day comes around?

I've found that lately I have been completely skipping rest days and just working out every day which I know is really bad for you. But on my rest day, I am a complete mess. What do you do??

Replies

  • annabellj
    annabellj Posts: 1,337 Member
    rest day means different things to different people. i use exercise as my happy pill also. when i dont lift or go to the gym, i roller blade with the kids, jump in the pool, trampoline, ride my bike, have lots of sex(the best choice obviously) if you are working out really hard most days, try mixing it up. i love to dance around the house with the music blaring, still gets the heart pumping but gives your muscles a break
  • annabellj
    annabellj Posts: 1,337 Member
    and your body needs the rest just as much as you might need the exercise for stress relief. try yoga also. and i find that if i dont have enough sunlight, that affects my mood also.
  • stuey39
    stuey39 Posts: 159
    I know people's opinion vary and I will probably get told I'm wrong but I don't take a rest day. I run Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I do some light resistance/circuit training. On top of all of this I walk several miles a day with my dog. As I said I know I'm going to get told otherwise but it works for me so that is all that matters. If or when I feel I need to take a rest then I will but for now I'm doing just fine.
  • redskirt
    redskirt Posts: 20
    I walk my dog, for an extra long walk.
  • becoming_a_new_me
    becoming_a_new_me Posts: 1,860 Member
    Rest day? What rest day? lol..just kidding...I'm with annabell...just find a different activity that isn't your "normal" workout but still keeps you active. I enjoy going for walks, and on my "low workout days", I just go for a walk. I also like to swim leisurely instead of hard-core like I normally do, or I will meditate with some yoga. I just find that activity, diet, and sunlight really help me stay off the medications.
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
    sunlight? what is this rare thing? sigh
  • annabellj
    annabellj Posts: 1,337 Member
    sunlight? what is this rare thing? sigh
    oh honey if you are one of those people who live in places like that have nothing but rain, get a light box. it will save your life. look it up. let me go do it and find a link brb
  • annabellj
    annabellj Posts: 1,337 Member
    www.amazon.com › ... › Alternative Medicine › Light Therapy
  • invisibubble
    invisibubble Posts: 662 Member
    Walk, yoga.
  • Princess_Sameen
    Princess_Sameen Posts: 284 Member
    I still go for a walk or will spend hours doing my horses so that I am still active on my rest days
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
    sunlight? what is this rare thing? sigh
    oh honey if you are one of those people who live in places like that have nothing but rain, get a light box. it will save your life. look it up. let me go do it and find a link brb

    haha, doesn't rain all the time. it's winter atm and even our "summer" this year never went over 20degrees :(
  • Sezmo83
    Sezmo83 Posts: 331 Member
    Labradors don't do rest days so no matter what I at least get out for a couple of hours walking. Might not seem much but I find the getting out and about really helps my depression.
  • lil_pulp
    lil_pulp Posts: 701 Member
    Like others, I take a walk outside. If it's bad weather, I might take a bath and/or a nap, if I have time. Writing in a diary (or even just making a list about everything--no matter how "important"--that's on my mind) helps too sometimes.
  • emmyash
    emmyash Posts: 115 Member
    Hello MFP friend...I definately use exercise to help control my depression and anxiety..crank the music up and zone out..even if its a walk on the tready....i dont really have a rest day because the days i can exercise child free varies...I wish i could listen to relaxation cd more but with kids that doesnt happen..maybe try that...or even just a walk on your rest day and nothing else...
  • collywot
    collywot Posts: 16 Member
    I judge it by the day, Saturday is my rest day, so I get a sleep in and cruise around in my pj's. If I'm feeling antsy and get that crappy feeling which tells me the day is gonna go south, I go and do 20 minutes, I can almost set my watch by it.....20 minutes and the anxiety goes, sometimes I line up my woes in my head, and walk and begin the countdown. This still does better than any medication ever did, I only wish I had known years ago. Do whatever works :)
  • bigdal77
    bigdal77 Posts: 69
    hi i know what you mean on my rest days i feel like im failing something its hard to shake but i still take it,
    its normaly saturday and sunday i rest but most of the time i do something on them days if not my big rides just something little like my rowing machine but you have to take a day off now and again other wise your burn out just keep yourself busy on your days off plan them for when you get a busy day :)
  • leahartmann
    leahartmann Posts: 415
    I´m with the rest. Go for a long walk, a short run or maybe take the stairs up and down a couple of times. But do get a little rest, your body is gonna need it. Work out less then usual. This summer is cold and a little depressing where I live ( denmark) wich is hard for my depression. I run 3 times a week and walk the dogs a lot. Try to find the energi to socialize some. I have a few permanent agreement with some friend a couple of days, just to be out of the house. It´s not necesserily all about work out.
  • labowser
    labowser Posts: 21 Member
    Unless you are doing hard core workouts, I am not sure that you need rest days. Like most people on here already said, take a walk or do something like stretching/yoga if your body needs a break. I LOVE walks when I can't get a regular workout in, especially at the end of a long work day. Good luck and know that there are lots of other people out there (myself included) that has found exercise to be a life saver when it comes to depression and anxiety.
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
    Unless you are doing hard core workouts, I am not sure that you need rest days. Like most people on here already said, take a walk or do something like stretching/yoga if your body needs a break. I LOVE walks when I can't get a regular workout in, especially at the end of a long work day. Good luck and know that there are lots of other people out there (myself included) that has found exercise to be a life saver when it comes to depression and anxiety.

    Umm... I am actually.

    I do hardcore hypertrophy training atm, 4 days a week, run 2 days a week and dance 2 days a week.
  • lacroyx
    lacroyx Posts: 5,754 Member
    play video games. :smile:
  • netchik
    netchik Posts: 587 Member
    Rest day for me means not going to the gym. I can still go for a walk with the OH, or a bike ride through the forest etc. Loads of activity that doesn't have to feel like exercise.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    I'm starting to think the term rest day should be abolished and recovery used in its stead.

    The need for recovery depends entirely on the type and intensity of the exercise involved. There are runners who run 7 days a week but they mix up speed and distance of their workouts and one (or more) will be at very slow pace a.k.a. active recovery. (in fact there was an item in a recent edition of Runners World about a guy who had run at least a mile every day for well over 2 years).

    If you're lifting weights you would either take days off (if you're doing full body workouts) or alternate upper/lower, arms etc because the exercise causes microtears in your muscles and it's the healing process that makes you stronger.

    Back to the OP - if exercise is part of your therapy then do it 7 days a week, 365 days a year - just mix things up and take the occasional "active recovery" day (lower impact, lower intensity activities - walking, swimming etc). I know if I miss a day I'm not usually in my happy place.
  • Lolli1986
    Lolli1986 Posts: 500 Member
    sorta looks like there is a consensus among those of us who tend toward the more anxious or depressed ends of the spectrum - taking an active recovery day seems to be what we've all independently converged upon. :)

    i take walks between training days. when i'm really fit, i take short, slow runs on 'rest' days.
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
    Agree with most, My rest day is today but we are heading to the nature trails at one of our local parks for a nice 5 mile hike. Slow paced just enjoying the outdoors kind of walk... That is as close as I get to a so called rest day..... lol...... Only real rest day for me is from weight training... I will put a rest day between workouts when I am combo training (Back and Biceps, Chest and Triceps, Legs and Shoulders, etc) or if a do 1 body party a day (Chest, Back, Arms, Shoulders, Legs) Mon-Fri then I will take the weekend off from weight training, just depends how I am cycling through my workouts but I do some form of cardio 7 days a week.... Best of Luck.....
  • Minkyboodle86
    Minkyboodle86 Posts: 27 Member
    I think it really depends on what kind of exercises you're doing. Alternating between strength and cardio helps me since rest days make me anxious. I'd like to run every morning, but your body needs rest to heal so I do strength training or just try and keep as active as possible i.e; parking further away, taking the stairs, walking to places instead of driving, etc...that way I'm getting a little exercise, but not as intense as a 4mi run.
  • fitpilatesqueen
    fitpilatesqueen Posts: 337
    I was so lucky to slip on the stair and fall on my tailbone and fracture it. I haven´t been able to do much for 10 days now and if I take walks then few hours later I will be in terrible pain. This is driving me nuts, I need to be able to walk, bike or do something, it is so difficult for me to do nothing, not being able to sit for long, not being able to take walks....just standing there is driving me nuts...I´m getting bored and really annoyed.
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
    Will defs try just walks, etc.
    Thankyou :)
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    I usually only need hard exercise every other day... I can even stretch it out about three days, before I get stir crazy and need a "dose."

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