If you have recently started a workout journey, you have likely heard that ‘consistency is key’, which it is. Whether you want to lose fat, gain muscle or tone up, a consistent workout routine is essential.
Though consistency matters, it can be easy for people new to working out to take it to the extreme. Believe it or not, intense daily workouts can harm your fitness journey and delay your progress.
At POW8R, we know the importance of a consistent workout schedule but also value the importance of fitting in scheduled rest days. We always incorporate set rest days into our workout plans.
If you are unsure about the importance of rest days and how they can improve your fitness journey, read on to find out more.
What is a Rest Day?
A rest day is a dedicated day when you take a break from your usual exercise routine, allowing your body to rest and recover from an intensive workout.
A rest day doesn’t have to mean that you get no exercise at all. It can still be active and involve gentle exercise, such as walking or even yoga.
When beginning a fitness journey, it is important to set realistic fitness goals. You can’t achieve the body you’re dreaming of without giving your body the appropriate time it needs to rest.
Signs That You Need a Rest Day
Nobody is built to perform intensive workouts every day, and if your body needs a rest, it will let you know.
You could be living with signs that your body is in desperate need of a break without even realising and some signs that this may be the case include:
Muscle Cramps
In the fitness world, sore muscles are usually a sign of a good workout and show that you have pushed yourself.
However, if you go beyond sore muscles and feel a continuous cramp in specific muscles, it could be a sign that you have overworked that particular muscle. This feeling will not ease unless you let the muscle rest, and you could cause long-term damage if you don’t.
Sleep Disturbance
When you work out excessively, you may find that you have a difficult time falling asleep. Overtraining can lead to you feeling restless and constantly on high alert.
You may be thinking, doesn’t working out help you sleep better? It can usually help with sleep, but if you constantly perform high-intensity workouts incredibly close to bedtime, you could affect your nervous system, leading to insomnia and mental fatigue.
Getting the appropriate amount of sleep is essential to any fitness journey and is an important healthy habit to pick up. Being well-rested can make your workouts more sustainable. Without rest days, you will not be able to achieve that.
Feeling Sick
The harder you push your body, the more potential it has to develop an illness. When humans get sick, we need rest to let our bodies recover and clear any infection.
If you continuously push your body, you are not allowing it to recover and repair itself, which could lead to you becoming sick more frequently. If you have an illness you can’t seem to shake; it could be because you desperately need a rest day.
Elevated Resting Heart Rate
It goes without saying, an elevated resting heart rate is a telltale sign that something is wrong.
An elevated heart rate indicates that your body is experiencing exercise-related stress. If you cannot handle your everyday workouts the way you usually do, that is a big indication that you need a well-earned break.
When You Should Take a Rest Day
If you feel any of the symptoms discussed above, you should take a break as soon as possible. However, if you have not experienced any of these symptoms and you would like to prevent them from occurring, you can plan to set preventative rest days.
You should always intuitively listen to your body; it knows best and tells you when to rest. However, you should look to have a rest day at least once a week or break your workouts up with one-day rest breaks.
Remember, your body knows best, so listen to it when you can.
The Consequence of Not Taking a Rest Day
Some of the possible consequences of not taking a rest day when you need it include:
- Weakening your immune system.
- Burnout.
- Injury.
- Depleted glycogen.
The possible consequences can have a long-term impact on how you exercise and, most importantly, your health. Contact a healthcare professional if you already feel some of the more severe consequences, such as fatigue or illness.
The Benefits of Taking Rest Days
It’s not all doom and gloom. We know it can be difficult to just take a break from something that you love, but taking a rest day could actually improve your progress. Every workout plan should have the right balance of workout days and rest days.
Here are a few reasons why:
Reduced Risk of Injury
Following an intensive exercise plan will put your body under a lot of stress through intensive workouts. The risk of injury only highlights the importance of rest days.
Even with our challenges, you can always expect our workout plans to include set rest days, as we acknowledge the strain workouts can have on your body.
By taking a rest day, you can prevent the potential of developing an injury which could cause permanent damage. Remember, maintaining a successful workout routine is key to seeing results, and if you sustain an injury, you cannot keep this consistency.
Prevents Muscle Fatigue
Taking a rest day allows your muscles to replenish their glycogen stores, which can become depleted during exercise. If you do not allow this glycogen to be restored, you could cause permanent muscle damage.
Resting gives your muscles a chance to heal and grow stronger, which could actually mean that you can push yourself more during your next workout and see better results.
Who doesn’t want better results?
Encourages Healthy Sleep
When you complete a physical activity, you experience an increase in hormones that boost your energy levels, such as cortisol and adrenaline. If you work out too much and don’t take a break, your body can overproduce these hormones, making sleeping difficult.
By taking a rest day, you allow these hormones to return to normal levels and allow your body to get some much-needed rest, which is essential when you are trying to achieve set workout goals or push your body to the next level.
Improved Motivation to Workout
Let’s face it: if you have worked out intensively over a week, once you have hit the hump day, it can become harder to motivate yourself to carry out your workout to its full potential. The last thing you want is to develop a negative mindset concerning working out.
By giving yourself some time to recover, you will not lose your motivation for working out and will be able to push yourself even harder during your next workout session.
Design a Rest Day Plan With POW8R
At POW8R, we know exactly what you need to maximise your workouts and achieve the best results.
If you want to know more about the value of integrating a rest day into your workout plans or would like to start one of our workout challenges, don’t hesitate to reach out to a member of our training team. Together, we can help you smash your workout goals.