You are a slacker! You won’t build muscle, strength or lose weight if you take a rest day…said no Kasey EVER!
Does this sound familiar? If it does, then let me start by asking you, “How do you feel after a sleepless night?” If you are anything like me than your answer would be, “not so good”. As a Mom of three girls, a wife and having a full-time job, I can tell you from personal experience that when I don’t sleep well I can be moody! My body wants to shut down, I’ve got little to no muscle strength, energy, and the list goes on!
The same thing happens when you don’t allow your body to get the necessary rest after continuous exercises. Skipping your rest day (or days) just sets your body up for a complete breakdown. This can include muscle soreness, a decrease in strength, a decrease in overall performance and will ultimately lead to injury.
SO, YOU ARE TELLING ME I CAN SIT ON MY COUCH FOR AN ENTIRE DAY AND DO NOTHING?
Well, not exactly…don’t go heading to the couch just yet! Let me explain what constitutes “rest”.
Maybe Katie kicked your butt in Rhythm Ride this week at TRUE Ride, or you came to my power and added more weights…If you just finished one of these or another intense workout than absolutely take a full day off from exercising! Give your muscles time to recover properly! On the other hand, if you took it easy and ended up doing a lighter workout than your rest day would actually be a little more of an active recovery day. Go for a walk, or take a yoga class, do something that still gets your moving!
HOW OFTEN SHOULD I REST?
It depends on the intensity of your workouts and how experienced you are as an exerciser. If you are a beginner I would recommend taking a rest every third or fourth day. If you are an experienced exerciser I recommend resting once a week.
THE FINAL “DL” ON REST DAYS
The next time you are being too hard on yourself about taking a rest day after exercising, STOP! You take that well deserved break and get back at your workout the following day feeling refreshed, re-energized and ready to go!
Your TRUE Ride Nutritionist & Fitness Instructor,
Kasey
BeFitBeHealthyBeYou.com