Importance of Rest Days in a Fitness Workout Routine

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, to find out more information, please read my disclaimer. 

Y’all, I have a confession to make…. Today, I didn’t work out. Yesterday, I didn’t work out either! I know, you are completely shocked. It’s true, your fitness advocate does not recommend hard workouts every single day. Incorporating rest days into your routine is equally important as workout days, since it allows for your body to recover and come back stronger. Let’s discuss why rest days are so important.

When we exercise, we are putting stress on the body. That stress is designed to elicit a response from the body to change to adapt to that stress. For example, a cardio workout puts the cardiovascular system under stress. Therefore, the heart adapts to that stress by getting stronger, lowering the resting heart rate, etc. Another example is strength training workouts. When performed correctly, they cause microtears in the muscle. Then, the muscle must repair the microtears and grow back stronger. Overall, working out in all its forms puts stress on the body that causes the body to change and adapt.

When I was a naive 20-something, I exercised a lot, sometimes multiple times a day. Looking back, I’m astonished how I was able to power through. My life was completely out of balance.

Now, fast forward to my 30s, and the overuse injuries are present. Take it from someone who took a long while to get here: listen to your body’s limits! Therefore, I recommend a balanced 4-6 day workout routine that keeps you feeling fit, refreshed, and avoiding burnout.

However, what holds a lot of us back from incorporating rest days is rest day guilt. Am I right? I know, that inner voice bothers me on some rest days too. In that case, remind yourself how important rest days are in your routine, and how giving yourself this rest day will allow you to go back stronger. Also, you can fill your extra time with these important activities, because boredom should never be a reason to skip a rest day:

• Catch up on adulting – a necessary evil, I know.
• Read a book – check out some of my favorites here.
• Take a long walk – bonus: while listening to an audible book or podcast.
• Enjoy an Epsom salt bath
• Grocery shop & meal prep – this can help you towards fitness goals since physique is around 80% of what you eat anyway!

Trust me, your body (& mind) will thank you for the well-needed rest day. I bet you bounce back even stronger! I hope you enjoyed reading. Want more information? Check out more of my self-care and recovery tips here. You can also shop my favorites here.

Till next time!