One common misconception about working out and adopting a healthy lifestyle is that you can never take a day off.
This can make the fitness world seem daunting, especially if you follow influencers that seem to post workouts and “healthy” meals every single day.
However, it is important to keep in mind that resting your body is absolutely essential to reaching your fitness goals, and remaining mentally and physically strong.
Rest lets your body recover
Taking rest days is essential to your body’s muscle growth. After a few days of lifting weights, your body needs time to repair damage to muscle tissues, which will help your muscles grow stronger. If you don’t take these essential rest days, your muscles will be overworked.
Rest prevents injuries
Rest days are also crucial to preventing injuries that can happen when your body is overworked, like muscle strains. If muscles are overworked, you can end up straining them or suffering more dangerous injuries, which will hinder your progress much more than one rest day will in the long run.
Resting is good for your mental health
When establishing a fitness routine and improving your lifestyle, you never want exercise to feel like a chore. If you do not allow yourself to rest when your body (or even your brain) is telling you to, you’ll find yourself resenting this workout routine you’ve put in place for yourself. Overtraining is a sure-fire way to lose motivation- don’t overwhelm yourself.
Rest days and sleep go hand-in-hand
We all know how important getting enough quality sleep is in reaching your fitness goals- and taking regular rest days helps you do that.
Rest days can help you catch up on sleep, especially if you typically train early in the morning. Rest days also improve the quality of your sleep by regulating your sleep schedule, which can get messed up if you overtrain your body.
