Why rest days are important | Day 13 of 90

I AM SO TIRED. I don’t take rest days until my body tells me I need one, and let me tell you, I NEEDED ONE TODAY. This was me this morning.

I woke up and felt very, very slow. I also felt extremely thirsty 😛 I mean yesterday’s workout was so intense that it’s probably still burning calories right now as I type.

I AM DEAD.

Yesterday during lunch time, I went to a local studio that specializes in CrossFit, HIIT, and circuit training type workouts. I had been telling the Blogifam about it for a while, so we finally we put it on the calendar and the brave few of us who dared to go, went! It happened to be upper body day! Brittney, Laurel, and I did all sorts of crazy things…like tricep dips on olympic rings and pushing a sled that was a few hundred pounds. It was so hard but also so gratifying!

We ended up a sweaty mess, but I forced everyone to take a post workout pic for the blog. I mean – I NEEDED PROOF!

So, rest days – why are they important?

#1. If you want results, rest.

Rest days are for recovery. There is a lot of work being done internally, even if you don’t feel like you’re doing anything on the outside. When you’re resting, your body is replenishing energy stores and repairing the muscle tissue that was used (and possibly even torn) from your workouts. But don’t worry – these tears aren’t bad things! The rebuilding of the tears is actually what helps you grow bigger and stronger muscles! I know it sounds strange, but that is just how our bodies work. The “microtrauma” happens when you’re pushing yourself to lift heavier than you normally would in everyday life. That’s why when you wake up the next day, you’ll probably end up feeling sore! Like me today 🙂

#2. You could hurt yourself really badly if you don’t.

It’s not worth it to squeeze in another workout when your body is telling you no more. You may think burning some extra calories is cool and all, but there’s an actual limit to how much you can push yourself before you PHYSICALLY break.

When you’re exercising, you’re putting stress on your bones and your muscles. Rest days and sleep allow your body to make new cells and rebuild. If you don’t give your body time to get stronger by repairing itself properly, you may get inflammation and injuries, and won’t be able to work out for a long time. It’s just not worth it. That’s why my monthly workout calendars focus on different muscle groups everyday. Plus you’ve got a built in stretch and rest day. This allows you to to have a balanced approach to exercise.

#3. Working out too much can DECREASE your performance.

Just like how you can get burned out with work, you can get burned out with working out. Do it too much and you will get mentally bored and physically exhausted. Your performance will decrease simply because you’re tired of it. This is a sign that you need to SWITCH IT UP or take a break. Also, giving yourself the mental space will allow you to come back tomorrow with so much more vigor!

So, don’t ever feel like rest days are a waste of time! Listen to your body. Depending on how hard you’re going, some of us may need it more than others. I know my body well enough to not schedule in rest days until I can feel one coming. Also with my sometimes sporadic schedule, I’ll allow a travel day to be a rest day naturally – instead of forcing one in while I am at home.

DAY 12 RECAP:

I can’t believe I have been filling out my Fit Journal for almost 2 weeks now!!! It’s been cool to be able to circle the happy-happy face almost everyday. It’s interesting that when you write things down, you begin to notice patterns more. And honestly, since starting my 90 Day Journey, I’ve been a lot happier. This is so cool.

For lunch, I had chicken shawarma with mushrooms and cauliflower rice. I am getting very sick of this but I finally finished it. That was the last of it. I won’t be buying chicken shawarma again for a while!

I snacked on thai chili almonds and baba ganoush with sweet baby bell peppers when I started getting hungry. Guys, I am seriously am in LOVE with the baba ganoush I made. You guys need to make it. It is literally THE BEST thing I’ve made in a while and it is so keto friendly.

We met up with a couple friends for dinner. I was in charge of choosing the restaurant since I was the one with the most specific guidelines for my food! Luckily in LA, pretty much every restaurant has a “healthy” section so this made it easy for everyone to eat something that satisfied them. I ordered this grilled chicken salad with tomatoes, bell peppers, goat cheese, pepitas, and onions. It was delicious! It normally comes with tortilla crisps but I just told them to remove those. Oh it also came with with jicama but I personally don’t like jicama so I got rid of those too!

There you have it! What I ate. It’s interesting to see how much less I am mindlessly eating because of the Fit Journal and this blog. I really can be a zombified bottomless pit when it comes to food – especially when I am bored or stressed. So if you’re having trouble with the same thing, I suggest you try writing down what you eat. It REALLY keeps you accountable.

Oh and a final little reminder…