Everyone seems to be concerned about how much they work out, the calories burnt daily, or how fit they are. However, barely anyone talks about the need to rest. We don’t stress the importance of rest and why the body should take a few days off in any exercise regimen. Often, we see professional athletes with injured bones, or sore muscles, and it is easy to think it is the norm. These things may be the result of a lack of the rest that the muscles require.
If you have never found a reason for why rest should be an important part of your exercise regimen, keep reading to know more.
1. Your muscles need rest
Your muscles definitely need a break from the whole strain of exercise, and this is one very important thing that is taught in strength training. You tear muscle fibers while you lift weights, and these fibers have to be repaired and grown again, otherwise you will only be losing, rather than gaining from the exercise. Relaxing the muscles, and not engaging them in any other exercise, will allow your immune system to properly act during the recovery period.
2. It prevents injury
If you keep doing different exercises without a break, you might end up overusing your muscles and joints, which can easily result in injury. You can protect your joints and tissues better simply by taking breaks to relax.
3. Your immune system can overheat
The immune system is constantly activated in order to repair muscles and joints, and for this to be effective, you will have to give it time. Continuous use of your muscles and joints will not give the immune system the proper time it needs to repair the body.
4. It affects sleep
You can end up being so restless that you find it difficult to sleep, and this is one result of over-training. Aside from the restlessness this will cause you, lack of sleep also alters the overall health and can negatively affect your immune system.
You are probably thinking that you will lag behind in your performance levels if you allow yourself too much rest; however, you really do not have to worry about that because it takes the body about two weeks of little or no activity before it begins to lose noticeable degrees of your performance level. Rest is an important part of your exercise regimen, and if you have never thought of this before now, this article should have given you enough reasons to keep it firmly in mind from now on.
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