The Importance of a Rest Day: Don’t Let Overexercising Ruin Your Progress
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Have you heard the mantra "no pain, no gain"?
In this episode of “Embrace Your Real” podcast, I challenge this notion ingrained in our society, especially in the fitness world. Today, we're delving into a topic that's often underestimated but holds the key to unlocking your fitness goals: the significance of rest days. We will explore the four essential reasons why incorporating rest days is a game-changer for your body and overall well-being.
What I discuss:
Your muscles need rest in order to recover.
You need to avoid burnout and fatigue.
Rest days help with your hormonal balance…
Burnout will lead to injury…
If you loved this episode, be sure to tune in to…
Episode 350: 5 Ways to Beat Burn Out
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Transcript:
[00:00:00] Hey there, beautiful human you're listening to Embrace Your Real With Me, Julie Ledbetter, a podcast where I empower you to just be you. With each episode, I get you a dose of real talk and actionable advice for building your confidence, honoring your body, and unconditionally loving your authentic self. Stay tuned. If you're ready to embrace your real. Let's get it. Let's go.
Welcome back to another episode on Embrace Your Real podcast, The importance of a rest day. Don't let over exercising ruin your progress. That is exactly what we're talking about in today's episode. How many of you guys have heard the phrase no pain, no gain? We just need to push through this pain? I think our society has led us to believe that the more that we hustle, the more we will succeed. And I also definitely think that this has bled into the fitness world 100%. It has led us to believe that constant training and minimal rest is the key to success, like the key to building the body that you want. And yes, dedication and hard work are certainly some of the most important aspects of achieving your fitness goals. But I also think that the importance and the role of rest days in our workout routines cannot and should not be overlooked. Your body needs rest in order to see results, plain and simple. You cannot build the body that you want without rest. And so that's why in today's episode, I'm going to be diving into kind of the importance of rest days, not just for muscle recovery, but also for preventing burnout and fatigue, maintaining hormonal balances, and also preventing injuries. Before we dive in, though, I want to share this review. It comes from Hot Mess Express underscore one. [00:01:35][94.5]
[00:01:35] She gave a five star review and said, this podcast has changed my life. I look forward to tuning in every week. Now that I'm all caught up. I binge listen from the first episode on my way to walk while cleaning, doing chores. I also started following her workouts as well as the movement, which only group. This podcast has taught me so much in regards to exercising, nutrition and overall mindset. You won't be disappointed. Love, Julie and her mission to help women. Well, first of all, the fact that you have tuned in all the way from episode one and you're now over 400 episodes is a feat, and that is something I'm going to celebrate the heck out of you for. So grateful that you stuck with me and tune in to all of those episodes. That's actually kind of crazy when I think about it. I have not even tuned into episode one, and I mean probably since 2020. I think I would maybe cringe if I went back to episode one, but I'm just going to leave it up there because, you know, we all start somewhere. I remember that was done in my closet in 2020. I think it was January of 2020. I'd been thinking about a podcast for so long, and finally the day had come and, it was my first podcast episode and did it in my closet on the floor with my mic in my hand. And, here we are, over 400 episodes later. It's so crazy. So thank you so much. Hot Mess Express underscore one for taking time out of your day to send that in. I appreciate you every single one of you guys who liberating interview. We read them and I would love to read them on air. [00:02:58][82.9]
[00:02:58] So if you could scooch over Apple Podcasts and liberating interview, that would mean the absolute world to me and our team. Okay, so let's dive in. And I'm really going to kind of break down the importance of rest days into four key points that you need to understand. So number one, your muscles need to rest in order to recover. So every time you do a workout, whether it's dumbbell workouts, cardio yoga, your muscles go through this process of microscopic tears, right? So these tears, while that sounds bad, it's just a natural part of the muscle building process and your muscles need to tear in order to grow. This is just this is kind of where rest days come into play. So during rest days, your body shifts its focus to repairing and rebuilding these muscle tears, which in turn makes them stronger and more resilient. And this is also what makes your body composition more tone and lean, depending on what your nutrition is. So if you're in a body fat loss phase, if you're in a muscle building phase, whatever it is. So let's kind of break down how exactly this works. So to put it extremely simply, muscle growth is the best equation of breakdown plus repair which equals growth. So when you workout, especially when you push your limits, you're focusing on progressive overload. You're creating those small tears in your muscle fibers. And these tears are necessary because it's during the repair process that your muscles actually adapt and become stronger to handle these future challenges. So skipping these rest days can ruin the entire repair process, because you're not giving your muscles the time that it needs to repair, and therefore you're preventing your muscles from reaching their fullest potential. [00:04:25][86.5]
[00:04:25] It's during these days of rest that your body has the time and resources to mend the torn muscle fibers. And guess what? Continuing to work out without adequate rest, this can and will lead to a plateau in your progress. And this is because your body becomes overworked. It's in this constant strain that's preventing it from effectively repairing and growing these muscles. Right. You kind of enter into the state of catabolism, which essentially just means that you're in this chronic state of breakdown. Your muscle is constantly being broken down without ever giving it the opportunity to build back up. And so as a result, you might find yourself stuck at the same fitness level, unable to make gains even though you're working out super hard all the time. So it's. Yes. While it's great that you're committed, your hard work is essentially just being wasted when you're not giving your body the adequate amount of rest, like you're really only going to see opposite results. And that's not what you're looking for. So to sum up this first point rest days are essential for optimizing your results. It's all about working. Smarter, not harder. And just kind of a side note on this rest comes in other forms than just rest days. So you can take a few days off of working out a week. But if you aren't actually resting on those days, your body isn't going to recover. You need to lower your stress levels, be making sure that you're getting this adequate amount of sleep, and letting your body fully rest. Sleep is a huge proponent in this, and a huge equation and resting and recovering from your workouts. So if you feel like you've hit a plateau, sometimes you need to look at your sleep quality. [00:05:58][93.2]
[00:05:59] This is not sponsored by any means. If you've tuned in before, you've heard me talk about it. But the aura ring has genuinely changed so much in my life. I got it beginning of last year and I have not missed a day wearing it. And man, I can just tell you like just I was just talking to my friend about this the other day. It's crazy because sometimes I'll be like, yeah, I got eight, you know, 8.5 hours of sleep. But I feel so exhausted. And I'm looking at the analytics of my sleep. And it shows like your REM sleep, your deep sleep, the latency, which is how long it takes you to get to sleep, your V, which is your heart rate variability, your heart rate. I mean, there's so many things that go into it. And I the other day I was like, I got 8.5 hours of sleep, but I don't feel rested. And I look at my REM sleep, I'm like, oh, my REM sleep, my deep sleep. We're off. And so for me, that just means well, I remember that night I was on my phone right before I went to sleep, which is not something that I normally do just because I have learned from experience. And I've talked about this on previous podcast. We'll continue to talk about it. But sleeping with my phone, not in the room in, I put it in my bathroom. You can put it, you know, maybe on the other side of your room, whatever. But not sleeping with my phone right beside me has singlehandedly changed my sleep. It has changed my relationship with my husband. It has changed so many things about everything, honestly. But that is a huge, huge indicator for me. [00:07:18][78.6]
[00:07:18] I was like, oh, that definitely impacted my deep sleep. And even though I was technically getting, you know, 8.5 hours of sleep, I was not getting into those deep sleep, those REM cycles. So sleep is a whole thing. Check out the ordering. I know it is expensive, but honestly, it is one thing that I will say if you can save up, if you can wait till maybe a couple people can go in on your birthday, or you can save up your money for it. It is definitely worth the money and I love it so, so much. Number two, you need to avoid burnout and fatigue. So overtraining can and will lead to both physical and mental fatigue. I'm sure that we've all experienced the state of fatigue at some point or another. You feel this decreased motivation. You might feel sluggish, this reduced performance. And then those feelings lead to burnout, which forces you to take an extended break of working out. Does this sound familiar? Like to any of you guys how regular rest days can help you prevent burnout and keep you motivated? Well, essentially, overtraining occurs when you're constantly pushing your body beyond its limits without allowing it to fully and adequately recover. So that's kind of the technical way of explaining burnout in terms of working out. But the chronic strain on your body is what is most likely leading to the serious effects of this physical and mental wellbeing. Right? This is why recognizing the signs of overtraining is crucial for preventing burnout. So what are some of the signs? Aside from what I've already mentioned? Well, some other common side effects and signs can include persistent fatigue. So this is when you're super tired. No matter how much sleep you get, it feels like you never have enough energy to get you through the day. [00:08:50][92.1]
[00:08:50] You try concentrating, but your brain is too tired and you just feel this chronic brain fog and mental fatigue all the time. Decreased motivation. This decreased motivation in and out of your workout. It transcends to other aspects of your life, like you don't have the energy, therefore you don't have the motivation. Poor sleep quality. When we're burnt out, it becomes harder and harder for us to sleep. And the more that we lack sleep, the more that we are burnt out. And that just is a constant state that we're in. All of this accumulates to decline performance and again, in and out of our workouts. What what we do directly affects our workouts, but it also directly affects every other aspect of our day, right? Our workouts are lackluster. Going through the motions, not being able to lift heavier weights. We're struggling through things that we've maybe never struggled before, and the same can be said for life outside of our workouts. Everything just feels lackluster and like we're going through the motions and who wants to live like that? I know we've all been there, but it's a sucky place to be. Rest days really provide your body and your mind with the essential break that they need to recuperate. And let's be honest, these rest days are not just rest days from your workouts. They can also be rest days from your to do list. The rest days, from the demands of your hectic lifestyle, physical rest allows your muscles to recover, while mental rest allows you to kind of refresh your motivation, get you more enthusiasm for your workouts, kind of refocus. Get clear on what it is that you want to achieve for the upcoming week and just overall add to enthusiasm for your life, right? So kind of just how you are consistent with your workouts, it's time to get consistent about your rest days. [00:10:25][95.1]
[00:10:26] So when you return to your. Workouts. After a rest day, you will most likely feel energized. You're ready to push harder. And the same is true for kind of returning to your life. You'll you'll feel energized. You'll feel organized. You'll feel ready to show up as your best self. Rest is essential for growing muscles, but it's also essential for becoming your best self in all different aspects of your life. Number three rest days actually help with your hormonal balance. So let's get kind of a little technical here. Exercise triggers the release of various hormones in your body, which includes cortisol, testosterone, and growth hormone. And guess what? These hormones essentially play roles in your body's response to workouts. Therefore, an imbalance can actually have a negative consequence on your body. So here's how rest days contribute to maintaining hormonal balance. Well, cortisol is often referred to as the stress hormone. It's released during the exercise to provide a temporary energy boost. Testosterone and growth hormone is also release, which contributes to muscle growth and overall health. So while cortisol kind of has beneficial benefits in moderation, chronically high or chronically elevated levels due to overtraining, this will lead to adverse effects. So high cortisol levels can negatively impact muscle growth. It can impact your metabolism and even lead to immune dysfunction. Right. So to kind of put this in terms that you might care about, chronic high cortisol levels can lead to a slow metabolism. Your body storing fat instead of building muscle. And you're going to lack energy and be more susceptible to being sick. So it's going to compromise your immune system. And guess what? You can actually experience chronic high cortisol levels from feeling chronically stressed or anxious or overwhelmed, or you have too much going on in your life, you can actually trigger high cortisol from pushing it too hard in other aspects of your life outside of your workouts. [00:12:18][112.1]
[00:12:18] Again, we are a well-oiled machine. God has created us that way. But that also means that whatever we're doing outside, not just in our workouts, is directly going to impact our workouts and vice versa. So when everything is working in harmony together, it's good. But if something is out of whack, whether it's in your personal life, it's outside of your workouts or within your workouts, that's going to directly affect the other aspects of your life. So because these rest days are going to be your hormone regulators, rest days allow your body to regulate the levels of these hormones, right? So when one hormone is out of whack, all of our hormones are out of whack. And this leads to everything becoming out of whack again, just like I was talking about how our bodies are, they're a well-oiled machine, but that means that every single part of the machine needs to be working properly in order for the overall machine to be working at its optimal. And we are controlled by hormones, especially being women. Therefore, we need to take extra care of them and make sure that they remain in balance. Balanced hormones lead to more harmony. We feel more happy, we feel more energized, and that's ultimately where we're going to see the best results. Number four burnout will lead to injury, and I know that none of us want to get injured. It is the biggest Debbie Downer, honestly, especially when we have been so consistent in our workouts. And then, you know, all of a sudden something happens. But constant strain and fatigue increase your susceptibility to injuries. So whether that is overuse injuries or muscle tears, rest days provide your muscles, joints and connective tissues with the time that they need to repair and strengthen, which then this in turn reduces the risk of injuries and allows you to train safely and consistently. [00:13:55][97.0]
[00:13:56] And that's ultimately what we're all chasing after. Right? Muscles that are pushed to their limits without adequate rest become vulnerable to injuries. Let me repeat that again. Muscles that are pushed to their limits without adequate rest become vulnerable to injuries and overuse. Injuries such as tendonitis or stress fractures can develop when your body doesn't have the chance to repair itself. So if you are maybe starting to have a tweaked knee or tweaked wrist, this might be a sign that your body needs some extra time to recover. Or at the very least, do not use that in certain exercises. Right? And if it persists, definitely have it taken a look at whether that's a physical therapist, a doctor. But you need to listen to hear what your body is trying to say instead of push through it. I'm speaking from experience. There have been times where I, you know, I've had this no pain, no gain mentality and it is just been ignorant, honestly. Like when I really think about it, I'm in the long term, right? And I'm in this for the long haul, and if I'm in it for the long haul, that means that I need to be smart in the short term, right? So that I can be in it for the long haul and not be out for an extended period of time simply because I have this no pain, no gain mentality. And so I need you to understand that preventing injuries through regular rest days is essential for this long term progress, and long term progress is what we are chasing after. So if you want to see these real sustained results, you need to take rest days. So that question naturally becomes okay. So how many rest days should I take? Well, I would say at least two if. [00:15:26][90.5]
[00:15:27] Possible for the majority of us, for the majority of us. If you have a specialty that you're training for or something, this might look a little different for you. But the majority of us need two days a week of rest, right? And yes, this means that I'm talking about, you know, working out five days a week. So a max of five days a week. And for those fitness enthusiasts, I know that might be hard for you to hear, especially those who just crave movement and crave workouts. But then on the flip side, for those of you who think, oh, well, I'm only working out three days a week and now you're feeling guilty, I actually want to say something to you. I bet that you'll actually see better results. Intentionally working out three days a week. Still being mindful on the other days of the week. Then another person who is working out six days a week. Let me say that again. So if you're working out three days a week and you're being very intentional with your workouts, you're also being mindful of outside of your workouts, how you're staying active, but also allowing yourself prioritizing sleep, prioritizing your protein, prioritizing your water intake, and just staying active outside of your workouts for the remainder of the week. You likely will see better results than a person who is pushing themselves 6 or 7 days a week with little to no rest. And maybe they're just going through the motions. So I don't want you to feel guilty for only doing those three days a week, because that can actually oftentimes even be better than the person who is pushing themselves. And they're not prioritizing, you know, outside of their workout because they're just exhausted. [00:16:50][83.4]
[00:16:51] They're not prioritizing sleep, they're not prioritizing protein and whatnot. And, this is why my app has, you know, five days a week program. People always ask me, well, what do I do on the six day? Well it depends. I always that I take that as my active recovery. So I do take two full rest days. One is an active recovery day where I'm still very mindful of my movement, but it is not a strength training workout. It is me walking. It is me hiking with my boys. It is me doing something different, whether that's just stretching or mobility work. And then I take one full rest day, which typically lands on Sundays, and that's complete rest. That is, you know, I'm still overall mindful, but the majority of the day is spent resting, recovering, and that's, you know, my Sabbath day. So I'm not working. I am very intentional with that. And so that allows me the opportunity on Monday morning to go in and crash my workout, because I have been I've prioritized rest and recovery throughout the weekend and I feel ready and good. My muscles feel good, my mindset is good. I don't feel like I'm in this, oh my gosh, you know, I just did this yesterday and I have to go in and push to try to get peers on this lower body down Monday. Like that's what I do. And that has helped me so, so much. So again, it's all about working smarter, not harder. It's all about working strategically. And the strategy will look different from whatever season of life you're in. So if three days a week is all you can do, three days a week is all you can do. Push those three days a week. [00:18:17][86.1]
[00:18:17] And, you know, so Monday, Wednesday, Friday, you're doing a workout. You're prioritizing your movement outside of your workouts, but you're also allowing yourself the adequate amount for rest and recovery. If four days a week, that's great. Do four days a week, five days a week, whatever it is, I just want you to know that it is so, so important for you to take at least one, if not two, to rest and recover and a lot and take that from your workouts, right? Like rest and recovery is the key to seeing results in your workouts. And it's the key to also avoiding injury, avoiding burnout, and allowing your body the adequate amount of time to rest and recover. I hope that this was helpful for you. I hope that this gave you kind of a balance of like nerdy scientific things to talk about, but also just like the realistic aspect of it, of the mental aspect and the mental toll that it takes when you are constantly training day in and day out and not giving your body any sort of rest. If you love this episode, I know you will also love episode 355 Ways to Beat Burnout. I will link that in the show notes that you can easily go tune into that next, but I hope that you found this helpful. I hope that you remember that rest days are not a sign of laziness, but they are rather a fundamental requirement for the body to recover and and really adapt to the physical stress that is imposed during your workouts. And that rest days are just as much a part of the process, and they're required for progress. And so when you look at them as essential, I hope that you kind of reframe your mind when it comes to rest days. [00:19:48][90.4]
[00:19:48] But that is all that I have for today's episode. I love you so dang much, I mean it, I'll talk to you next one. All right, sister, that's all I got for you today. But I have two things that I need you to do. First thing, if you are not already following me on the gram, be sure to do so. Julie Ledbetter. Yes, it's within a in the middle for that Daily Post workout. Real talk, healthy tips and tricks, and honest accountability to keep your mind and heart in check. The second thing, be sure to subscribe to Apple Podcasts to never miss an episode. Thank you so much for joining me. It means the absolute world, and I'm going to leave you with one last thought. The most beautiful women that I have met in my life are the ones who are completely confident and secure in being authentically themselves. Remember that beauty goes so much deeper than the surface. So go out there and embrace your real because you're worth it. [00:19:48][0.0]
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