Whether you’re new or experienced with fitness and exercise, the necessity of rest days is relevant to you. After a long week of putting in hard work and having the discipline to stick with and get through your routine, you need to recuperate. Rest days allow you to take the time to give yourself a break and reward yourself for your good work. Let us stress to you further why rest days are so important.
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Rewarding Your Work
At some point, you have to give yourself the carrot rather than the stick. Having days where you reward yourself with your favorite cheat meal or treat gives you a payoff for all your hard work that is a bit more immediate than the results you’re striving for. These rewards offer something more tangible to work towards during the week. They’ll prevent you from losing your motivation because you don’t feel your efforts have any effect.
Willpower will only get you so far before you face the prospect of burnout. There’s nothing wrong with treating yourself now and again. And rewards help you keep yourself on the right path towards striving forward and reaching your fitness goals.
Prevents Injuries
By never giving your body a break, it becomes much easier for you to injure yourself. For example, overusing or overstretching your muscles can cause some intense soreness or cramping that will force you to stop exercising for multiple days until you recover. If you’re eager to get some physical activity during your rest day, focus on something easy like a walk or a light jog so that you don’t put too much stress on your body that might manifest into physical injuries later on.
See Your Results
Perhaps the greatest reason why rest days are so important is that they’re the periods when you’ll see the most results. At first glance, there’s something odd about your body undergoing the most change on the days you’re putting in the least amount of effort. But this is because rest days allow your body to repair itself and build muscle that will burn more calories.
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