Making the Most of Your Rest Days
Most people think rest days are a day off, but this misconception can often do more harm than good for beginners and those rehabilitating after an injury.
We believe exercise is our best medicine so even on days you’re not in the gym with me, you should aim to make the most of your recovery period with either active or passive exercises to keep your body (and brain) active. Here are ways to make the most of your rest days outside of the gym...
Active or Passive Recovery Days
First, should you have more active or passive recovery days when not working out?
Passive rest days are days where high-impact training takes a back seat to recovery. These are often days where a light walk or low impact training would be considered sufficient to accomplish two things:
Keeping the body from atrophy and allowing for muscle fibers to rebuild and strengthen in areas where they have worked.
Allowing for joints and muscles to stretch and recover from over-exertion they have been exposed to over your previous training days.
It may seem counterintuitive then, to think of the idea of active rest days. An active rest day can be one where you decide to get together with a group of friends and take a bike ride down Bayshore, do some yoga, or take a fitness class.
The key difference is movement and keeping the body from having too much sedentary time which can impact your muscle recovery. You may find that our muscle activation techniques (M.A.T.) training program is easier after taking a day to actively rest than the days after you take a passive recovery day.
Get Adequate Sleep
One of the most under-rated portions of the overall training process is utilizing a proper sleep regimen. Studies have shown that poor sleep patterns can actually contribute to people losing or gaining weight sporadically, and overall hinder them from getting to their fitness goals.
Before anything else, make sure that you aren’t overworking yourself. Give your muscles and your mind adequate time to recover as cutting this short can hinder your training process in the end.
Related > Are you getting enough sleep?
Drink Plenty of Water
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: water is your friend! About 60% of the human body is made of water, and when you’re in the gym putting in max effort, you’ll need to stay hydrated. Though proper hydration is key to exercise training, you may need to take extra measures to make sure you’re getting enough on off days.
Meeting your daily intake goals is a key to staying at optimal health. I recommend using a water bottle with guides on how many ounces you’ve had during the day; it’s a great visual cue to remember to drink your water.
Related > How much water do you need?
Keep Moving
Even on rest days when you aren’t working out with your personal trainer, you should still stay active and mobile to complement your normal training regimen.
On the days where you take a gym break, consider mixing in some of the following low impact activities to keep your body from fatiguing and able to snap back into “workout mode” when it’s time to get back to training:
Yoga – A tried-and-true recovery activity when it comes to keeping your mind and body agile on your days off. Yoga is the perfect blend of mental and physical meditation; it’s been proven to be a great activity to keep your muscles from being overworked and allowing you to avoid the number one setback in exercise: injury.
Tai Chi – Another excellent form of meditation, Tai Chi also melds the physical side into a slow and methodical practice of flows between different poses. Past research has shown that Tai Chi offers multiple aerobic supplemental benefits including pain relief.
Swimming – One of the excellent benefits of living in Tampa Bay is our central location to some of the country’s best beaches. Swimming has been long recommended by doctors and physical therapists alike as a great way to keep stress off our joints, which in many cases don’t get the rest they deserve. Swimming can also serve as a great low resistance form of training. Most muscles used in swimming can easily transition into your daily workout routine.
Related > Stretches to do DAILY
Listen to Your Body
The most important tip is to listen to your body. Before you get started during your day, check-in with yourself and see how you’re moving.
Are your knees feeling a little more stiff than normal?
What about your back or core muscles?
It’s a rest day for a reason, so use this to prevent overworking yourself on your day off and come back the next day 100% and ready.
Make the Most of Your Fitness with M.A.T
Get your muscles moving optimally again with a combination of Muscle Activation Techniques and healthy recovery periods. Focusing on both the form and function of your body and staying active will help you transform your lifestyle.
Ready to get started? Make the most of your fitness with expert M.A.T. personal trainer, Maurice Harden and the team at Dynamic Fitness & Rehabilitation in Tampa, FL. We can work with you one-on-one at our gym or virtually online. Contact us today for your assessment!