While nobody ever achieved a chiseled physique by laying on the sofa all day, a rest day once in a while is nice. In fact, it’s not just nice but needed. If you’re someone who has the self-discipline to stick to a strict gym routine, your body will require a rest once in a while.
Benefits of a rest day
The benefits of incorporating a rest day into your schedule include:
Muscle recovery and growth - Rest days give your muscles a chance to recover. The microscopic tears that occur as a result of physical activity can be repaired on rest days which also leads to enhanced muscle growth.
Increased motivation - Working out is half the challenge, but maintaining peak performance during your workouts is often the harder task. While a rest day will see you skip the gym for a day, you may benefit from increased motivation upon your return to working out.
Injury prevention - Taking a day off might prevent you from taking a whole month off. Injury as a result of overtraining is common for gymgoers and a rest once in a while will help prevent post-gym aches turning into long-term injuries by boosting joint health.
Mental recovery - It’s not just your body that needs to recover after a strenuous gym session, but your mind too. Having a rest day allows you to take the pressure off yourself and have a mini mental reset in time for your return the following day.
Rest Day Ideas
Sleep
First, don’t feel guilty for ditching your alarm on a rest day. Creating a sleep sanctuary has many benefits, both physical and mental, and rewarding yourself with a few extra hours in bed can be the biggest plus of skipping your usual morning in the gym.
Diet
Once you’re awake, it’s important to focus on your diet. Remember, it’s a rest day not a cheat day. Whether you’re trying to lose weight or gain weight, sticking to your diet when not working out can help ensure you keep making progress even without exercise.
Focus on nutrient-dense foods such as:
• Berries
• Eggs
• Nuts
• Kale
• Salmon
• Sweet potato
Recovery
A morning stretch can be the perfect way to start your rest day. If you’ve spent the previous day working out, gently stretching those tight muscles will offer some immediate satisfaction. Alternatively, reward your aching body with a trip to a local spa for a massage, sauna or steam room session which will also speed up your recovery.
Goal reviewing
Use your break from working out to work on yourself mentally. If you put a lot of time into your physical health, it can often mean other areas of your life become forgotten about. A rest day is the perfect opportunity to review current goals and set new ones, whether they’re related to your health, career or something else.
Do nothing!
Finally, don’t feel guilty if you spend your rest day slumbered on the sofa in a men's full tracksuit binge-watching the latest must-watch series. It wouldn’t be a rest day if you didn’t actually rest, so feel free to spend your rest day doing absolutely nothing.
