Recently during a regular gym workout, I realized I am in a desperate need of a rest day. My body wasn’t working quite right and I kept getting winded from things that would normally not bother me at all. I decided to do a rest day and I think it was a wonderful idea. This inspired me to think and read more about importance of rest days. I will probably return to this issue in another post, talking about how to do rest days. For now, just the benefits.
There are three main aspects to benefits of rest days:
Social
So maybe this is not the top reason for taking a rest day. Some may even laugh it off as a reason, but hear me out: some days, you need to skip training, so you can attend to your social life. We need to maintain (and sometimes grow) relationships with people around us. When your kids, significant other or anybody else in your ‘village’ needs you, go for it – missing out on one run won’t hurt you, but missing out on an anniversary dinner might.
Mental
I know it’s tricky because once you give yourself a permission not to go for training, it’s easy to excuse not working out in the future. However, if you train day in, day out, your heart may stop being in it. Don’t push yourself for so long that you lose any joy in running/ cycling/ your activity of choice. I believe it’s a bit like with denying your cravings – at the end, you’re going to binge on whatever it is. Don’t let yourself get burned out! And be kind to yourself.
Physical
Bones
Overall, running is good for your bones. However, the hard pounding on a daily basis can lead to stress fractures. Rest days allow your bones time to regenerate any weak spots created during your last few workouts.
Brain
Strenuous exercise causes production of cortisol, which is the stress hormone. I know that many of us do cardio workouts to de-stress. But in some ways, this stresses our brains out. You need rest days for your brain to recover, too. And in this case, just lower intensity workout may suffice.
Muscle
Did you think that you gain muscle while you are working out? If yes, then you were misinformed. Workouts cause micro-tears to your muscle fibers. It’s that healing process that allows you to grow faster and stronger. Different sources cite different amount of time necessary for full recovery, but they oscillate between 36 and 72 hours. This is why body builders alternate what workouts they are doing each day (not that repeating the same thing every day is healthy or leads to best results… variety is the spice of life!)
Tendons
Oh, look! Here is where the ‘runner’s knees’ come into play! How many times have you been told that running will ruin your knees? Chances are: more than once. It’s probably closer to this broken cassette player stuck in your car that insists on playing whenever your car is on (for you younger people – go ask your parents about cassette players going crazy and be grateful those evil devices went by the way of the dodo 😉). The truth is, your tendons need to recover just as much as your muscles do. Unfortunately, less blood flows through them, which means they recover slower. Based on experiences of many around us: bad tendons = bad joints. And this is a lot harder to heal or repair, should a need arise. Give them a chance before you cause serious damage.
Immune system
Did you know that strenuous exercise over 120 minutes weakens your immune system? I was surprised to learn that, especially since we hear a lot that working out regularly is good for your immunity. It also got me concerned about my long workouts. First conclusion I drew from this: maybe going to the movies in the middle of the flu season after a 20 mile run isn’t the wisest choice. It takes several hours for your system to bounce back from this. At the end of the day, your immune system is like the rest of your body: it needs a chance to build back up. Give it one and take a day off from working out so hard!
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