Why Rest Is Important

Rest is crucial for any sport or physical activity. Recognizing the need for rest is even more important. Rest allows your body to recover and repair itself, which can help prevent future injuries and is key to athletic improvement. When we push our bodies too hard, or overwork ourselves, we can hit a plateau, stop progressing, and/or reverse our progress. Overdoing exercise can also lead to burnout, preventing us from reaching our goals.

So when should we take a rest day? The best answer is: listen to your body. Experts recommend taking at least one day off from your daily workout routine each week, but everyone’s body is different. A rest day may be necessary when you are dealing with emotional challenges, such as feeling unmotivated, or physical challenges, like injuries or illness. Other signs include hitting a plateau in your workouts, losing motivation due to burnout, or experiencing extreme soreness and tiredness. Overworking yourself prolongs recovery times and negatively impacts performance, since muscles are not given enough time to rebuild. This can also increase your risk of overuse injuries like shin splints or tendonitis. In some cases, extreme soreness and tiredness could be warning signs of underlying conditions, showing why rest is just as important as training.