This is Why You Need a Rest & Recovery Day

Do you consider your rest days to be an important part of your fitness routine? Well, they are! And this is especially true as you age because over-exercise and not giving your muscles time to recover can lead to more stress on the body, higher circulating cortisol levels, and more weight gain in the long run. Which is likely the opposite of what you’re working towards if you’re working out frequently!

So, if you’re accustomed to working out 7 days a week, there’s good reason to reassess your schedule and build in some active recovery and rest days — and that’s what Melinda is here to talk all about. If you’re already taking rest days regularly, check out this video to learn more about why they are important!

Video transcript:

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Why do we need rest and recovery days?

If you're an exercise fanatic like me, I don't really like to take rest and recovery days. It almost feels like those are the days that I feel like I should be doing more. But when I do take them, I notice the difference. Then, when I come back to my training, I’m that much more enthused and energized and I don't have that much muscle soreness. So rest and recovery days are super important.

If we think about what happens when you are weight training, you're actually breaking down little bits of the muscle. So the muscle is made up of fibers and they get broken down when you train and when you push yourself.

That’s why you need that rest and recovery, in order for all of those little fibers to rejoin and get stronger and come back stronger and better. That's how you build muscle.

Rest and recovery days are also important for cognitive functioning. You need that break as well. So take a day where you're just walking, do a little bit of yoga, some gentle stretching, lots of breathing and you'll find your rest and recovery days are absolutely needed and wanted, and they’ll make you feel so much better when you are exercising.