7 Key Benefits of Rest Days

Nose to the grindstone. It’s the only way that things get done and goals are accomplished. This is particularly the case when it comes to making gains in the gym or any other physical activity. 

When you have some physique goals, you need to make certain that you’re prioritizing rest every bit as you prioritize hitting the gym. They are two sides of the same coin and will come together to build you a stronger, better body. 

Keep reading to learn more about how rest days can be helpful to all your health and fitness goals. 

1. Hours of Sleep Will Help You Generate More Muscle

Whenever you take work out rest days, make sure that you’re prioritizing sleep and naps. Your personal trainer will also likely ask you questions about your quality of sleep and how much sleep you’re getting. 

You can’t build muscle and burn fat without allowing your body to work its magic at night. This rest is about more than just restoring your energy — it’s also how your body literally regenerates itself. All of the work that you put in at the gym will solidify into place when you get the sleep that you need. 

Make sure that you’re sleeping long enough to go through all of the stages of sleep, and your muscles will rebuild and transform your body. Set your bedroom up in a way that shuts out daylight and lets you drift off easily each night. 

You may want to add an aromatherapy diffusor and a speaker that lets you fall asleep to ambient sounds. 

2. It Gives You a Mental Recharge

Exercise rest days will also bode well for your mental health. Rest gives your brain downtime so that you can have a mental recharge between your phases and activities. 

As you go through your usual processes, you’re constantly having to make decisions, deal with anxiety, and confront a number of stressors that come and go. Taking time out of the gym for a day or two gives you time to recenter yourself, and also restore your brain. Your mental health will improve and you’ll be mentally fresh each day. 

3. Rest Helps You Get Rid of Pain and Inflammation 

Pain is one of the most difficult matters to deal with if you’re working out on a regular basis. It comes with the territory since you’re literally exerting against resistance so that your muscle fibers break down and rebuild. 

Getting sleep will help your body’s healing processes take place, and will help you to ease inflammation and swelling. Listen to your body when you’re figuring out how often to take rest. There’s a difference between common pain and pain that is too much to bear. 

By resting up for even a day, you’ll likely feel fresher and ready to take on all challenges the next day you go back to your workouts. 

4. You’ll Come Back to Your Activity Stronger and Faster

One of the greatest advantages of rest is that it helps you perform better. Even professional athletes take rest days for this reason. Whether you’re practicing martial arts, lifting weights, running, playing full-court basketball, or any other workouts, rest days will be critical at helping you bounce back. 

When you’re able to restore your body, you’ll notice yourself getting tired less in your workouts and being able to lift more weight or exert more bursts of speed and agility. 

5. Rest Allows Your Nutrients to Do Their Job

Eating healthy food is another vital cornerstone for making your fitness goals come true. Even if you eat the healthiest and most nutritious foods, you have to give your body the time that you need to digest it. 

Your body can more fully and completely digest leafy green vegetables, convert protein, absorb omega 3 fatty acids, turn carbohydrates into energy, and so much more. Whenever you have a rest day, make sure that you also focus on the food that you’re eating and that you’re getting enough meals and calories to improve your physicality. 

6. People That Rest Can Keep Their Willpower and Resolve

It’s easy to get burned out with your physical activity. Taking a rest day when you need it will also help you maintain your fitness habits. Even a single day of not having to do the activity will make you appreciate it so that you go back refreshed and recharged. 

It allows you to maintain your willpower and resolve since you always know that you have a day of rest to look forward to. 

7. Rest Days Will Prevent Injuries

Finally, rest is critical so that you don’t get injured. Nothing sidelines gains and improvement like an ill-timed injury. Giving your body the rest that it needs, when it needs it, prevents you from dealing with overexertion and strain. 

Your body will remain healthy and strong enough to protect you and will be less likely to break down. 

Add Rest Into Your Workout Plan

Make no mistake about it — rest days are essential to your health and fitness goals. There are just as many forms and schools of thought on recovery as there are workouts. 

For instance, many people engage in active recovery, which consists of walking or a light jog just to get the blood pumping. Other people stretch or practice yoga on their rest days so that their bodies stay limber. You may also want to pamper yourself on a rest day, going in for sauna treatments, chiropractic sessions, or massages. 

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