Rest Days

I currently run 6/7 days of the week. I am expected to run 7 days per week as instructed by my Cross Country Coach. I take 1 day off from all forms of exercise once a week to ensure that my muscles can repair themselves properly. At my busiest, being involved in 2 school sports at a time, lifting/conditioning outside of school AND balancing school AND a job, I am constantly on my feet. I feel that one day per week of NO exercise whatsoever (not even taking the dog for a 2 mile walk) is completely necessary for proper healing and functioning. During a workout, you are constantly breaking down your muscle fibers. Think of it as survival of the fittest, but on a cellular level. The stronger muscle fibers survive and recruit more fibers to build itself stronger. The weaker ones break and are left to be replenished and are built back stronger for the next time that they are going to be used.  If the rest time between works outs isn’t long enough, the muscles have a difficult time restoring the small fibers that break apart thus slowing recovery time and making me feel as though I am not running as optimally as I’d like to. This feeling is also recognized by sluggishness. If you’ve ever felt awful after a few days after a race day (which can be described by feeling like your legs have turned into bricks and have an extremely hard time moving them, or constantly feeling like you need to stop and walk) is a strong indication that you haven’t recovered properly. Rest days are great days to cross off things on your to do list such as run errands or do homework. I like to take rest days on Sundays so I can plan my week and recuperate. Rest days when lifting are best after one or two consecutive days in the gym rather than after a few easier days. Everyone can benefit from rest days if they are used properly and timed right, so use them to your full advantage to get the most out of your workouts (359)