Signs you need a rest day and suggestions for how to spend it
If you enjoy doing sports and you feel good, you may be thinking why should I take a break? Also, everyone talks about how beneficial it is to exercise regularly. Moreover, you may be feeling extremely motivated. The truth is that much is not always better. Your body needs listening to repair and develop itself. It should be part of your routine no matter what sport you do.
35 days ago I started the 50-day challenge to create a better version of myself. I do not expect that my all life is changing in 50 days but I can take action to do so. I want to be a healthy, sportive person. Moreover, I want the body that I can have the best. I work for that for years but I didn’t see so many results because of delaying and other excuses.
Meanwhile, one of my goals to be that person not surprisingly was to move my body for at least 30 minutes a day. Since then I workout every day. Moreover, as I see my body changing, I do not want to take a break from doing sports. I even feel guilty about rest days.
But the truth is for building muscle and being more productive rest days are essentials. Rest days are an important part of any exercise program. So, in this article, I want to mention how I understand I need a rest day, and how I spend these days without feeling guilty.
How can you understand you need to take a rest day?
Sore muscles
It’s normal to feel sore after a good and intense workout. I feel this more especially if I have done an exercise that includes movements that my body is not used to.
This pain that comes after a solid workout even has a name: delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS). It is normal to have pain for one or two days, but if your pain continues for more than a week, experts say you should take a break.
Straining more than usual
If your routine is getting difficult or you are not seeing progress, take a day off. For example, if you normally do 10 burpees and start to finish at 5, its to sign that you need a rest day. Any significant decline in your core skills is a sign that your body probably needs cooling.
Also, your performance will deteriorate as you try to complete your set, even if you get tired earlier than usual. In this case, it can even cause injuries.
Increase in resting heart rate
If your heart rate is higher than normal, it may be because your body is pumping more oxygen to the healing tissue to heal the micro-teared muscles. An increased resting heart rate, on the other hand, can be a sign that your body is stressed.
If you track your resting heart rate on your smartwatch (or other devices) and notice that it’s 5+ bpm higher than normal for a week, it could be a sign that you’re not getting enough rest between workouts.
Emotional changes
Some days you just don’t want to workout. Sometimes, even though you don’t want to do, you may feel good when you start , but this may not always be the case.
If you’ve completed your warm-up and don’t feel ready to train, it’s probably best not to continue. Forcing a workout that makes you feel bad can burn you out and push you further away from exercising.
Also, when you push your body too hard, hormones like serotonin and cortisol become unbalanced. This can cause irritability, moodiness, and mood changes.
How to spend a rest day?
On your rest day, of course, you can spend time with your family or on your hobby. But I will talk about how you can help build your body even on a day when you don’t exercise.
Diet
We need fewer calories on a rest day than on a regular day. Since I still want to lose a little more weight, I make sure to increase the calorie deficit on rest days. Make sure you’re getting enough protein. Adequate protein intake supports muscle repair.
In addition, continue to stay hydrated even if you do not exercise.
Yoga
My personal favourite! Yoga is a great option for a rest day. Helpful for breathing control and stretching our muscles. I feel calmer and more rested after doing yoga, so I recommend it to you on your rest day.
I love Adriene’s yoga videos on YouTube. She’s so sweet and calming, she. Moreover, I can find a video for every mood, even if I have 10 minutes!
Stay Active
You can do anything that doesn’t stress you out, or even need to be particularly prepared, but that moves your body. For example, dancing, or taking a stroll around the neighborhood. Low-impact exercises allow you to stay in shape and enjoy without getting into motion.
Yes, doing sports is very beneficial for us, but the first way to be a healthy person is through a healthy mind.
I pushed my limits in these 35 days and I enjoyed exploring my limits. Although I was not regular, I was always a sports person in my life. But the 50-day challenge encouraged me, and sometimes I just didn’t want to stop, as if I wanted to make up for the days I lost. However, I realize that I need to stop and breathe and listen to my body now and then. Now I make two rest days a week.
Thank you for taking the time and reading my post. I hope my article helps you. I wish you all the best. Also, please share with me what other nice ways to spend rest days in the comments.
In my 50-day challenge my another goal is sharing a post on Medium every day. I am very happy to see my followers increase on this journey. I would appreciate it if you would support me and accompany me on my journey. I hope to see you around.
