How important is it to take a day off from exercise?

[tryingatkins]

I workout every day faithfully. I have been talking with a few people and some say "work out every day" while others say "you need to give your body a rest".

I know myself well enough to know that I am becoming "addicted" if you will to working out. I fear that if I take a day off that that might end up being my last day of working out. That I might not pick it up again after having a "day off".

Any comments?

[cindy1]

I wonder the same thing myself. I tend to work out every day, only taking a day off here and there. But I don't over-do the exericse; I do a good, relatively short work-out each time. If my body were aching too much to go, I wouldn't, but I've had no problems.

[molley]

If you think you're becoming addicted, you probably are. my older sister went through this too. and the fear that you won't go back is...untested, right? I mean, you don't have to "take a day off" to not go back the next day. the fact is that EVERYDAY could be your last day. it doesn't mean you increase your exercising to twice a day. you just don't let it happen. so take a day off, it can't be BAD for your body to rest up for more than 22 hours at a time.

[Reena]

Hi
Ive been working out for 10 years! Here are some tips

1. Go everyday if you want BUT variate your workouts
2. So weights on different parts of the body eg mon-biceps, Tues-triceps-wed-legs, thurs- back- etc etc
3. Do various cardio excercises otherwise your body builds a resistance to your workouts
4. try different classes- kick boxing, pilates, yoga


My cousin who is a fitness instructor takes Sunday off....... and owkr out 6/week

Im getting back in the gym and iam aiming 4/week

[BigOleBoy]

You probably alread know that your body needs a day of rest. Not only is it good for your body as a whole, but especially good for your muscles. If you want them to be toned to their max, your going to have to give them a day (or two) off.

Good Luck,

[Randy76]

I have to say you need at least one day off a week.
I have been working out 10+ years and I have tried, done it all.
There have been times where I took a week off.. but I always went back.
Your body needs the rest to recuperate.
Your muscles will not heal if they do not get the right amount of rest.

Believe me, you will gladly enjoy the rest. You don't want to over work yourself or make yourself sick of going to the gym. I see people do that all the time. Go 7 days a week for a few months then you never see them again. You don't want that to happen.

[Rides Like a Girl]

I'm an endurance athlete, with cycling as my main sport. During the "off" season, I typically put in 65 - 90 miles per week. During the actual cycling season (usually March to October) I will average 160 - 180 miles per week. I also run all year, but keep the mileage down to about 15 miles per week.

The point of this detail is to say that I'm expending a lot of energy and putting a lot of stress on my body to do the things that I consider fun. I'm 50 years old now and have learned that my body absolutely REQUIRES adequate recovery time.

I always take at least one day per week for recovery. Sometimes that means a leisurely 2 mile stroll with my toddler. Sometimes that means a very slow 3 mile jog. Sometimes that means lying on the couch all day! Listen to your body and give it the time it requires.

t.

[BlueHoodie]

Go for a long walk. You won't be stressing your body, and you will still feel like you are burning calories.

Also, be sure to put in your recovery workouts. They will help get blood flowing to your muscles (where increased blood volume aids recovery).

If I do fartleks one day (speed play workouts in running), then I make sure that the next day I get in an easy run (11 minute miles)...I tend to go a little long on these runs. But if I take a day off it will be the day AFTER my recovery run. And if I am sore from weights or running, I make sure I go for a long walk to get the blood flowing to my legs.

[Unbreakable]

Depends on how hard you workout. You can do cardio everyday with no problem. Weights are a different story. When you really break down a particular muscle it needs at least 24 hours to recover. At least. It also depends on your age. I'm 31 so I need the day off. My muscles do not bounce back as fast as an 18 year old. But if you do a light workout everyday. There's nothing wrong with it. I do decent amounts of cardio and am building up to a more advance level. Right now I only run 2 miles three times a week. But I could barely do a quarter mile when I started. Cardio has always been my weakness. But I hit the weights pretty hard and so I need a recovery period. On a particular night if I am working on say my biceps... I will do 18 to 21 sets of 15 reps starting at 70lbs per arm but gradually decreasing the weight every 3 sets to accomodate my weakening biceps. By the time I'm done... my biceps are goo and I can barely curl a 15 pound weight. So I have to give them a day off. I really won't focus on my biceps until the same day the next week. But they get attention in the various other workouts I do throughout the week. I make sure to do my legs at the end of the week so that I can have trouble walking all weekend with no worries of messing up my run on monday.

[daisinc]

Surely depends on you personally, but as for me, regularity works.. That's no matter what happends stay within teh normal schedule

[sonia123]

Its so important to schedule a rest day amidst the busy exercising schedules. I have seen my brother who also became an 'addict' of sorts to exercise continuously to suffer. He was the initiated the fitness mantra and was gradually taken up by the others, though he is not sticking to Atkins like me he is still getting results. But talking about exercises taking a day off has ensured me I remain problem free unlike my brother who had to occupy bed for over a month and the doctors confirmed his body was overstressed. Hope this is enough evidence for all.

[KWright]

Hi Everyone,

I am currenlty on the trim in 20 program from mysummerbody and that has a day of rest scheduled too which I have found really beneficial in recovery.

[Christian]

One day take off from the exercise is very important to
relax your body and the muscle.

[David Steele]

Hi, tryingatkins

Since you're (I assume) on a low-carb diet, you don't need to exercise to lose weight. As discussed in "Why we get fat" by Gary Taubes, the science behind low carb eating goes beyond "Calories in - Calories out" and you have adopted a model that is considerably less Victorian. Your body will regulate its own fat levels regardless of how much work you do, so please don't feel the need to work out or exercise to "Lose weight".

Right, that said, if you're still with me, I assume you're working out for fun? and because you want to build muscle definition.

As a former soldier with about fifteen years' experience of hard Physical Training, I can tell you that your body knows what it wants. If you over-do it, your body will crave fuel, and you will also become lethargic as your body engine forces you to do less.

But if you're still bright and happy, and still able to get about and be active when you're not exercising, then you're still within your body's limits. Trust me, as soon as you do more than you should, you will lose the zest for life. Your spark will become dull, and everything will become too much trouble. You'll know when that is happening if you keep being aware of your body.

Muscle generally takes a day to repair after a good tearing (Which is what hard work outs do) so It's best to allow more than a day between similar sets.

How old are you? If you're still in your twenties, then great. Crack on - as long as you've got a good level of fitness and flexibility, you're pretty tough. Speaking as a forty plus year-old, mobility is a major factor to consider now, and I'm consciously careful to do a really good warm up and warm down, and only to exercise any given muscle group after it's rested for at least a couple of days.

But remember - you're not a cart horse. And you weren't bred for a daily grind of grunt and shove.

If you want an exercise routine that is (like low carb your diet) in line with what nature expected for you, you should try to adopt the mentality of the hunter gatherer, and simulate that sort of effort level.

Let's think about that... Yeah, okay. It sounds pretty barking mad. But this is an idea of what I mean -

A little light jogging - No more than about four miles at a light pace (as if you're going out to find firewood)
Rowing - Not a natural act, but imagine half an hour chopping wood?
Lifting heavy things - As you might if you were building something without a crane
Pull ups or "heaves" - Simulating the act of climbing
Yoga, Pilates, sit-ups. crunches - The life you live now is boringly predicatable. Try to introduce some variety of movement into your routine. Your core is the key to strength.
Miss meals - Yeah. It happens. I'm not a nutritionist, but your body is designed to cope with scarcity, so - replicate it from time to time.
Take risks - This is a biggie. There's nothing safer than plodding on a treadmill, or sitting on a spinning bike. YAWN! Find a climbing wall. Better still, if you can - get out to the country and scramble on some low rocks. Negotiate a slipery path. Jump across a stream until you fall in. Balance on logs. Get messy. I'm personally convinced that our reflexes must be so slow due to our modern lives that we're almost asleep. In my opinion (and it's only my opinion) this is why older people often get hurt when they trip. They lose the ability to react to unexpected movement.
Play more - Seriously. Tickle your kids. Take up shadow boxing. Do sports. Have a left-handed throwing competition. Sprint till you can't breathe, just to see how it feels. Play with the sensations of exercise and be glad to be alive.

There. I've gone on again and you're asleep.

Should you have a rest day? Yeah. If you want. But you shouldn't treat yourself like a shire horse, either. You'll never lie on your death bed wishing you'd managed more reps.

All for now.

DS

[fatburners]

YES YOU NEED AND YOU SHOULD GIVE YOUR BODY REST.
when is to much with your traning
-Feeling tired with aching muscles even before working out. This is usually a sign that you haven't given your body time to recover between training sessions.
-An increased heart-rate all day long. This usually indicates that your body is over-trained or sick.
-Feeling guilty or depressed when you are unable to work-out. A sure sign that you are becoming dependent on exercise.

If you do not take note of your body's warnings that it is being worked too hard, you may suffer from various complications that may hinder or even halt the weight loss process. Some results of over-training include:
An increased risk or occurrence of injury due to the lack of healing time given to muscles and joints.
- Being sick more often. Over training can affect your immune system making you more likely to contract infections and less able to fight off illness.
-Poor performance. The quality of your training will suffer. The old saying that it's all about quality, not quantity applies here.

Over training can easily be avoided. The best way to avoid| over training is to listen to your body. Exercise regularly but don't push yourself too hard and regularly review your workout patterns and how they affect your health.