Are rest days important for improving my fitness?

If you are somebody who enjoys exercise, it can be difficult to take full rest days. You might be tempted to head to the gym if you have a spare hour on your days off or take a quick run around the park after work.

While it’s great to stay physically active, overexercising can cause a number of negative symptoms. Rest days are just as important as exercise days, and in this article, we are going to explain why.

Why Are Rest Days So Important?

Rest days are an essential part of a healthy and active lifestyle. Here are some of the main reasons why you should include recovery days in your workout regime.

Reduced risk of injury

Overtraining increases your risk of physical injuries, as it doesn’t allow your muscles and joints to fully recover from your stop. Believe it or not, most of your progress happens outside of the gym.

When you are resting, your body is able to repair muscle damage and build new muscle tissue. You may stunt your muscle growth and overall progress without adequate rest.

Reduced fatigue and increased energy

When you never give yourself time to rest and recover from your workouts, you may start to feel chronically fatigued. You might find that you have very low energy levels and find it difficult to concentrate at work. Taking enough time to rest between your workouts allows your body and brain to re-energize and refuel.

Better exercise performance

If you want to be able to push yourself in every workout, you need to give your body time to fully recover in between each one. You might not make as much progress as you'd like without adequate time for your muscles and joints to repair themselves.​​