Why are we so resistant to the idea of rest? So many times, though, we cut corners with sleep and other forms of rest. Whether it’s ingrained in us from a culture hyper-focused on productivity (even busyness) as a measure of individual value and worth or a result of our feelings of inadequacy from comparison, we’re often much more tempted to push ourselves beyond our limitations — mentally and physically — than we’re willing to take a proper break.
I’ve been an endurance runner for several years now. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my time training and marathoning, it’s the importance of rest days. We can underestimate the power in “doing nothing,” but there are big benefits to be found in these seemingly unproductive days.
Here’s why you should take a rest day from exercise throughout the week.
6 Reasons Rest Days Make Better Athletes
Before I dive in, let me make this crystal clear: a rest day doesn’t mean you have a free pass to be a couch potato. In fact, the worst utilization of a rest day is to do nothing physical. However, what you do should be at a lower level of intensity than normal. Focus on stretching, light cardio, or other less strenuous physical activities.
1) You Bust Your Plateaus
Overtraining can cause you to run into a progress plateau. If you’re working the same muscles over and over at the same intensity, day after day, you’re going to hit a plateau. Experts recommend mixing it up from time to time. Not only that, but it will help you approach physical fitness in a more whole-body sense. Rest days offer an opportunity to exercise in ways you usually don’t, at intensities you take for granted. This change in routine, however small, can help you crack those annoying exercise plateaus.
2) You Reduce Risk of Injury
If anything will set you back in any fitness journey, it’s injury. Exercise can be a great way to avoid injury when it’s done properly — that is, when you give yourself proper time to rest. An in-shape body is less likely to be strained or hurt when you suddenly need to lift very heavy furniture (or other such spontaneous physical feats). At the same time, allowing your body to rest also prevents injury. Overstrain is a big risk if you engage in a vigorous workout every single day. Fatigue, too, can catch up with you. That causes you to slip into poor form and other sloppy mistakes that can result in injury.
3) You Build Your Body Back Up
You come back stronger when you give your body time to rest. Not only does a day of lower-intensity activity allow you to recover from the fatigue of the week, but your body can repair itself, leading to stronger, bigger, healthier muscle tissue. It also allows your body to replenish glycogen ( carbohydrates stored in the body and burned for energy ). If you exercise without proper glycogen stores, it will result in muscle soreness and greater levels of fatigue.
4) You Strengthen Your Immune System
Most of us recognize that when we work out, the building of muscle is a result of “tearing” the muscles followed by repair. No pain, no gain, as they say. Exercise (particularly hard exercise) creates inflammation in the body. While this is natural and normal, keeping your body in a constant state of exercise-related inflammation can compromise your body’s immune response. That means you’ll end up more susceptible to cold and flu — which will put you down for the count for sure!
5) You Get Better Sleep
Regular exercise can be great for your sleep quality. At the same time, exercise also produces energy and stress-inducing hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. In the right doses, this is fine, even beneficial. However, over-exercising (such as intensive exercise every day of the week), can lead to an over-abundance of these hormones. In turn, you may have difficulty sleeping. Ultimately, this impacts your daily energy and fatigue levels, which hurt overall performance and quality of life.
6) You Focus on Total Health
When you try to do intensive exercises every day of the week, you can find yourself mentally drained. Finding the energy to focus on the whole of your health, such as proper sleep and nutrition, can fall by the wayside if you’re hyper-focused on working out. An “easier” day allows you to recover not only in a physical sense but mentally, too. You can redirect your energy into things like meal-planning, nurturing important relationships, and self-enrichment. Your performance isn’t contingent solely on your physical fitness — your mental state, your nutrition, and the health of your life as a whole all make an impact.
When you take a rest day from intensive exercise, what do you focus on? Share your rest day tips in the comments.