Table of Contents
1. Key to consistency
You all might have experienced the importance of giving proper rest to your machines and vehicles to prevent overheating and burnouts. For example, any car, bike, or electronic gadgets might demand some rest time or charging time to give an optimum performance. Similarly, your body will demand rest amidst your workout sessions to be consistent in your journey. When you don’t rest properly, you might feel fatigue, pain, cramps, and ultimately lose motivation to do the last rep of your workout. Thus, to stay motivated and consistent in your journey, you will have to take proper rest days as instructed.
2. Rejuvenates and promotes muscle growth
When you start exercising suddenly, your body will be in a state of shock and studies have shown that regular exercising causes microscopic tears in your muscles. During your rest period, the cells called fibroblasts in your body will help in repairing these tears and make you ready for the next day’s workout. When muscles are repaired properly, they will be healthier and burn more calories easily even at rest. Rest days restore the carbohydrates in the form of glycogen, making you brisk and motivated for the next day.
3. Reduces injury
You are highly at a risk of an injury during a workout when you are not properly monitored by a professional trainer. To avoid tissue or ligament tears, ensure that you consult with a proper trainer or coach alongside. Another major cause where you can experience workout injury is when you don’t take rest days between your workouts.
When you overdrive your car, it can lead to engine failure, heating, or even breakdown. Similarly, when the muscles are not repaired, it increases muscle fatigue, leads to soreness, and can even cause internal injuries. These workout injuries can both have long-term and short-term effects. Thus, rest is vital for a peaceful and hassle-free workout experience.
What can be termed as a proper rest day?
It is not a thumbrule that you should sit on your couch scrolling through your feed during your rest days. You can do less intense workouts, yoga asanas, meditation, listen to music, take sauna, a deep tissue massage, cold/ice bath, and indulge yourself in NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) like cleaning, cooking, shopping, playing with kids, etc.
You can follow your nutritious diet, stay hydrated, and be cautious on your protein intake as prescribed by your trainer. Most importantly, one should have slept well to stay motivated for the next workout day.
