It is so easy to overwork yourself when you are trying to reach your fitness goals. You want to be the best at your job, so you work more hours than necessary. However, if you are not careful, this can lead to burnout and eventual disengagement from work and your fitness regimen.
It is important for people who do a lot of physical activity or work in a physically demanding environment to rest because it will help them energise for the next day’s workout or a hard day at the office.
In order to have a healthy lifestyle, it is crucial to have a balanced work-rest schedule. This does not mean that you take one day off from work each week. It just means that you get your body the rest that it needs to function at its best and get back into shape.
In this section, we will share some tips for spending your rest day in the most beneficial way possible.
Below are some helpful tips for spending your rest day:
· Spend time with loved ones.
· Eat healthy food.
· Do household chores or errands.
· Stay active by taking walks or doing light workouts.
It’s common for people who train intensely every day, such as competitive athletes, to take one or more rest days from their training routine. A fitness rest day can also be beneficial for people who work out daily but don’t make it a point to include a variety of activities in their routine.
Resting gives muscles a chance to repair themselves after being overworked from exercise, which means less risk of injury and damage. Rest days can be taken any time – not just on weekends. They are essential to help you prepare for an upcoming week of training, and they also allow you to maintain a healthy lifestyle with a sense of balance that is crucial for feeling good in general.
What to do on a rest day
In many fitness circles, the downtime you incorporate into your fitness regimen is known as an active rest day. This quantification implies that as much as you are taking a break from heavy activity, it is still essential to maintain some level of movement. So keep that in mind when you plan your day off.
On your next rest day, ensure that you stick to low-intensity exercise like walking, light stretching or yoga. However, you are not confined to these examples alone. You simply need to select an activity that will keep you going without demanding too much from your body.
Alternatively, you can take up passive recovery. This type of rest calls for higher levels of or total inactivity. Passive recovery becomes the better option in instances where there is injury or absolute physical and mental fatigue. But as soon as you can get back into your fitness regimen, it is recommended that you make the switch.
What are the benefits of a rest day?
There are many benefits of taking a rest day. You need to make sure that you are not overworking yourself by allowing your body to recover completely. On the other hand, active recovery workouts help the body repair faster. In addition to speedier mending, they also:
· Eliminate toxins from the cells.
· Increase blood flow.
· Reduce soreness.
· Reduce the build-up of lactic acid within the muscles.
· Maintain muscle flexibility.
· Keep your fitness momentum to preserve your progress.
Note that while active recovery workouts are helpful, they may not be suitable for everyone. If you have any injuries, it’s better to adopt passive recovery to allow healing.
Taking a rest day is a great way to recharge your batteries and get back to full steam as soon as possible!
What Should You Eat on a Fitness Rest Day?
Nutrition is indisputably just as important as exercise. So when you carefully consider what you are eating, you are only cementing further success. Conversely, the question of what to eat on a rest day doesn’t have a single answer, and there are many variables to consider.
Every day you work out, it puts stress on your muscles, which is necessary for growth and repair. So what you eat on non-training days should encourage muscle repair and include anti-inflammation ingredients to help with the recovery process.
Some examples of foods to eat on a fitness rest day are:
· Protein shakes with carbs.
· Eggs with avocado.
· Tofu scramble with cinnamon.
· Grilled or baked fish and chicken.
All in all, it is vital to identify the ideal nutritional balance so that you can ensure your body gets what it requires to keep going.
Just like physical rest days, you may also have nutritional equivalents known as cheat days. Following the example of other athletes, you can use the cheat days to indulge by eating foods that may not necessarily be ‘healthy’. However, to avoid erasing all your good work, it is best to enjoy it in moderation.
Whether you decide to incorporate a cheat day or not, it is still good to continue taking your supplements. Most supplements are formulated to be just as effective on non-training days as when you are expending large amounts of effort. Take note, however, that this trait is not universal to all products within all brand lines. So before you reach for your favourite powder, drink, snack or pill, read the nutritional label carefully to get an idea of what is acceptable.
No two people are alike. That’s why it’s essential to do what works best for you. There is no one size fits all approach when it comes to fitness and health. It’s better to take a break than feel guilty about what you can’t do.
Ensure that you actively include rest days in your fitness regimen. If you spend them diligently and wisely, you will observe significant progress and have more energy to keep going in the long run.