Are your workouts feeling hard? Not making the gains you once did? Maybe it's time to take a rest day! How a Minneapolis personal trainer can help you build in rest days.

More is not better. Better is better. Here are 5 Reasons you need rest says from exercise and why a personal trainer can help you plan your workouts for maximum results in less time.

Exercise forces your body to adapt in a positive way to the extra challenge you place on it. It's only by pushing your body a little harder than it's accustomed to that you become fitter, stronger, and develop more stamina. But your body also needs downtime. It might seem counterintuitive but your body adapts and changes during the rest period between exercise sessions. For example, most muscle protein synthesis that leads to muscle growth occurs during the deep stages of sleep. This is why we always talk about sleep!!!

Even if you're dedicated to getting your fitness, you need rest days. For most people, it works best to take one day off per week from training to give your body extra time to recover. In fact, rest days are an integral part of the fitness equation.

Here are five reasons you need at least one rest day per week.

1.    It's Healthier for Your Immune System

Did you know marathon runners are more susceptible to catching a cold two weeks after running a race? Pushing yourself too hard, whether it's through endurance exercise or strength training, can raise your cortisol level and that reduces your body's ability to fight off infection. The risk is greatest for prolonged exercise such as long-distance running but high-intensity weight training without enough recovery time between sessions can raise cortisol and depress immunity too. A day off helps your body get a full recovery from your training and that can help you avoid a case of the sniffles - or worse.

2.    It's Better for Your Mental Health

Just as you wouldn't want to work seven days per week without a day off, it's better for you mentally and physically not to exercise daily without giving your body a break. Doing so can lead to a loss of motivation and mental fatigue, along with the physical fatigue that goes with pushing your body through daily exercise sessions. A physical and mental rest day gives your mind and body a chance to "reboot" so you can avoid physical and mental fatigue. If you're like most people, you come back stronger the day after a rest day.

3.    It Gives Your Body A Chance to Repair and Rebuild

As mentioned, you make fitness gains between exercise sessions, not while you're training. The exercise session creates the stimulus needed for your body to repair and build new muscle tissue, but growth occurs afterward. Your muscles primarily use glycogen as a fuel source for moderate-intensity workouts. After a week of regular workouts, your glycogen stores may be shot. If your muscles are depleted of glycogen, they can go into a catabolic state where they break down muscle tissue to use that protein for fuel. This is more likely to happen if you aren't consuming enough carbohydrates and protein. This is why I also do not recommend ketogenic diets for my clients and encourage them that carbs are not bad!

However, a rest day gives you a chance to maximize glycogen stores in your muscles, so you enhance your gains.

4.    Because Exercise Shouldn't Be an Obsession

I get it, it makes us feel good. The rush we get from intense exercise is addicting. We have lots of members that crave that intensity and struggle with a strength routine that doesn’t get their heart rate to 80%+ but doing that every day is no healthy. This is what I call a cortisol junkie and it’s a slippery slope to lots of other heath issues.

 Exercise should be a lifelong habit that you do consistently, and to do that, you have to enjoy the process without making it an obsession. Taking a weekly day off gives you a chance to explore and enjoy other parts of your life. During that time you can pursue a hobby, spend time with family, or complete other projects. Taking a day off doesn't mean you can't move your body, but use a rest day to engage in a low-intensity workout, like yoga or stretching, stroll with the dog, or take a walk outdoors in nature. Studies show that spending time in nature lowers the stress hormone cortisol. That's beneficial for your immune system, bone health, and muscle gains.

5.    It Can Make You More Productive

If you're mentally fatigued from training, it can affect your form in a way the reduces gains and increases the risk of injury. Exercise is demanding on your body in many ways. You need to balance the stress you apply to it with rest. Besides, repetitive use of the same muscles without rest increases the risk of overuse injuries such as tendonitis and muscle strains. This is especially true of runners, which is why stress fractures are so common among people who run long distances. It's also true of people who strength train. A general rule: The more intensely you train, the more important rest days are, and the more frequently you need them. If you work out hard several days per week, you may need two weekly rest days. Take that break and enjoy it!

Never Feel Guilty!!!

Rest days MUST be part of everyone’s training program.  People feel a sense of guilt when they take one, thinking they'll lose their focus or their gains but that is just not true.

However, rest days will improve your focus, and won't notice a decline in physical performance for at least a few weeks of not working out. Taking a day or even two days off has only benefits. Take advantage of them!

If you are struggling with building in rest and/or recovery days into your routine, schedule a call with us and we can help you create your blueprint for success.

References:

•   Brit. J. Sports Med. Vol. 21, N0.3, September 1987.

•   ACEFitness.org. "8 Reasons to Take a Rest Day"

•   Recovery in Training: The Essential Ingredient. Jonathan N. Mike, M.S. and Len Kravitz, Ph.D.

•   Exercise Physiology. Fifth edition. 2012.