We all know how beneficial exercise is for well-being and the feeling it gives you after can get quite addictive! That “I can take on the world”, extra energy and positive thought which can be obtained after a great gym session is very moreish, but just as important as exercising is taking a break! Your body needs to rest too!
Before last night, everyday this week from Sunday onwards I had taken part in some sort of exercise, either gym or dance, before or after work – i know, go me eh? Last night I really wanted to go to the gym again! No, I’m not crazy…well maybe…
Sometimes I go with friends making it a social event too, and Ally yesterday had asked me if I fancied it. But no matter how much I wanted to go in my mind, I knew deep down I needed to rest. My body may have made it through yet another fitness slog at the gym but I don’t want to wear myself out, run myself down and make my body too physically tired to do anything else.
One rest day a week is just what your body needs! If you don’t give yourself adequate rest between exerting your muscles it can be detrimental to progress as it can increase the risk of muscle strain and injury. Muscles need time to recover before working them again, this actually works better at helping them to build, obviously along with the correct nutrients including protein.
A rest day is also a great reward for the rest of the week’s hard work and a way to keep you motivated – you can use this to concentrate on working towards if you struggle to gain the willpower to get to the gym halfway through your scheduled days for working out!
But I’m not saying you should only have one day rest a week, it completely depends on you as an individual and how much exercise and rest your body needs. You should listen to your body but also you need to remember to live your life too, so a balance is essential as in all aspects of life!
I’m learning to listen to my body, how much exercise I can manage without making myself run-down and how much rest I need to. I’m also working on my sleep as this really helps with energy levels, alertness and helps to keep your heart healthy – did you know lack of sleep makes you hungrier and likely to eat more? It also makes you more likely to catch a cold!
After really looking into looking after your body I’m trying so hard to keep my body healthy, after all we do only get one!
If anyone has extra tips, I’d love to hear about them.
Chloe xx