Rest

Rest is one of the most important aspects to consider when undertaking a new exercise regime. It is great to run everyday and have the motivation to keep up with your goals. However, you need to create time for your own body to recuperate. Just as anything, if you use something too long, it eventually gets worn out. That's why it is important for you to learn how to take care of your body.

The frequency of rest days and the type of rest depends on the intensity of your workouts. If you simply walk everyday or have a light run there is no need to take off a day unless you have an injury. If in fact you do have an injury, one day of rest may not suffice. Of course if you do want to take a day off just because, that is always understandable and perfectly respectable.

However in general, if you exercise at a medium to hard intensity level, a day of rest a week is recommended. This is so that your body can heal and recover from soreness, and growing lactic acid in the muscles. On this rest day, if you are not that sore, you can simply go about doing your average everyday lifestyle. However, if you find yourself in need of some sort of exercise, just not demanding on the bones, yoga and stretching can help.

Check out the Yoga for You post to see basic yoga poses to help stretch common muscle groups used in exercise for inspiration. If you are going to stretch, make sure you properly warm up your muscles before stretching deeply. This is explained in the flexibility post.

Another great soother for a rest day is swimming. Swimming is an all around toning exercise for the body that  gives no harsh impact on the bones. Simply doing the backstroke and laying on your back is fine. Enjoy the break from your usual intense workout.

I tend to have medium intensity level workouts, therefore, on my rest days I still exercise, but it is light and fun. Walking, biking, or yoga are my go-tos. In general I prefer having a rest day on Sunday, so that I can start my week off with a nice workout on Monday and follow it through the rest of the week. However, with my busy schedule, it varies. Even though I may not be able to follow it, I definitely recommend having your rest day on Sunday if your schedule allows. Being able to start your week on the right foot makes it so much easier to maintain proper health.

Make sure you take a day of rest! It is for your own wellness.