Importance of Rest

Rest time is when our bodies grow, when we sleep our muscles are hard at work repairing themselves and in turn growing. As a child you need proper rest because this is the time that your body grows the most, so it makes sense that proper rest will benefit your work out goals. Resting for a few days at a time can be refreshing, and really help motivate you towards your goals. A good general rule of them when it comes to resting is 4 weeks on 1 week off, this week of rest allows your body to recover and develop from the strain you have been putting on it for the last 4 weeks.

Things to Remember

When you are resting it does not mean you are on a healthy-lifestyle-vacation, you still have to eat right, and you definitely need to get the proper amount of sleep. I think this is where the majority of myths come from when it comes to resting. People who decide to rest either stop eating right, stop sleeping right, or take much to long of a rest and begin to see the negative side effects of taking too long of a rest. So just remember the only thing that should be resting is your mind and your body, all of your other good habits should continue.

How to Know When You Need to Rest

If you are not going to follow the general rule of thumb and rest after a month of intense workouts, then pay attention to key signs that your body needs to take a decent rest (usually a week). When your body aches in a painful way, and your muscles are continuously tired, sore, or just worn out, this is a could time to rest to allow your muscles to recuperate and to prevent injury. If you do become injured, use this time to rest your body, I have made the mistake of not resting when I strained my lower back, so ever week I had to live with a relapse of pain. I would give myself 2 days of rest then hit the gym and go home with a stiff back, and waking up to a strained and inflamed muscle. After taking a week off, the problem went away. When you begin to feel fatigued all the time, it is generally a good idea to take some time off to rest, and most importantly when you are tired of your workout, take some time off and change up your routine a little, you will be happy with the results.

Do you have any opinions about resting, whether it be suggestions or techniques or anything leave something in the comments.