5 Signs That You Need a Rest Day from the Gym

Working out is great for your physical and emotional health, sure. But if you are overtraining, you can do more harm than good. For starters, exercising with no rest days can increase your chances of injury. It can also lead to performance declines and reduced motivation. And that’s not to mention the burnout that can occur when you fail to take a rest day when needed. This can make the workout you obsess about today something you despise tomorrow.

Signs to Watch For

Having trouble talking yourself into a rest day or two in your foreseeable workout schedule? Take a look at these cues that you may need a break:

• Your body is sore. Although it’s normal to be sore after working out, soreness that persists more than a week after an intense workout may signal that you need to take it easy.
• You’re not looking forward to working out. While your body may have recuperated, your brain may not be on the same page. If you’re dreading your routine, then maybe you need to take a break and let your mind recover too. Remember, working out requires more than physical input; you also need mental fortitude.
• You’re experiencing muscle cramping. Your body is an amazing thing. It will let you know when it’s overly fatigued. One way that it does that is with muscle cramps to indicate that you’re either overusing your muscles or that you’re hydrated. Listen to your body.
• You feel compelled to work out. Compulsive exercising is not a goal to strive toward. Remind yourself that being fit is important, but there has to be a balance between other aspects of your life and your exercise routine.
• You notice a change in your resting heart rate. An elevation in your resting heart rate can be a sign that your body is being stressed for some reason, including working out too much. A resting heart rate of more than 5 beats per minute over your usual rate can indicate that you need to rest.

Active Recovery

You don’t necessarily need to partake in no physical activities during your rest days, nay nay. And while it's perfectly okay to just watch Netflix and chill on your rest days, it's not mandatory. You can use this time to participate in less strenuous activities, such as walking, yoga, foam rolling, or even just stretching. These gentle physical activities can do wonders to boost your body’s innate ability to heal itself post-workout and enhance blood flow.

The Bottom Line

Maybe exercise is your “me-time,” your escape from the chaos that is life in 2021. Perhaps it's one part of your existence where, in the wake of this pandemic-transformed world's emerging "new normal," you still feel in complete control. The time you spend working on your fitness may be your distraction from reality, your go-to activity to feel grounded. Whatever your fitness routine means to you, working out every day with no rest days penciled in on the calendar can actually be a mistake.

If you’re serious about your fitness goals, rest days are not optional. Get out of the mindset that rest is just for days when you’re injured or tired. If you’re in it for the long haul, taking time off from your routine is not negotiable—listen to your body and mind and they'll both reward you over time for allowing them sufficient time to recuperate.