Why I Don’t Believe in Total Rest Days Anymore

I work out 7 days a week and I’ve never felt better. Here’s why active recovery days beat complete rest days every single time for me.

Listen to the episode here…

I Haven’t Taken a Complete Rest Day in 115 Days. Here’s Why I Never Will Again.

Today is day 115 of my fitness journey of going maximum effort on fitness. I’m actually on a walk right now, and I wanted to hop on here and talk with you about the importance of active recovery days.

My Seven-Day-a-Week Approach

Anybody who’s following my fitness journey knows that I am working out basically seven days a week at this point. But two of those days I chose as active recovery days.

Now there are some times that I will do some kind of additional exercise. Like I’ve started doing Zumba on Sundays. So technically speaking, I only have one active recovery day. But more often than not, I do Wednesdays and Sundays as my active recovery days.

So why is this important? Why is it important to have an active recovery day? And these are the lighter days where you’re not really going as hard as you normally would. So why are they important?

What Active Recovery Actually Means

Well, number one, they help prevent injury. When you’re constantly pushing your body hard every single day with no break, you increase your risk of overuse injuries. Your muscles need time to repair and rebuild, but that doesn’t mean you need to be completely sedentary.

Number two, they maintain momentum. This is huge for me. If I took a complete rest day where I did nothing at all, I know myself. I’d start making excuses. “Oh, well, I took yesterday off, so what’s one more day?” Before you know it, one day becomes two, becomes three, becomes a week.

Active recovery keeps me in the habit of moving my body daily without putting excessive strain on it.

My Active Recovery Activities

On my active recovery days, I usually go for walks. Sometimes it’s a 30-minute walk, sometimes it’s longer, depending on how I’m feeling. I might do some gentle stretching or yoga.

The key is that I’m still moving. I’m still honoring my commitment to myself to move my body every single day, but I’m doing it in a way that allows my muscles to recover from the harder workouts.

Listen to Your Body

Now, I’m not saying everyone needs to work out seven days a week. Some people absolutely need those complete rest days. But for me, keeping some kind of movement going every single day works better for my mindset and my goals.

The important thing is that you figure out what works for you and your body. Pay attention to how you feel. If you’re exhausted and your body is screaming at you to rest, then rest. But if you’re like me and you feel better maintaining that daily habit, then active recovery might be the way to go.

Onwards and upwards, my friends. Have you worked out today?

This podcast is supported by affiliate partnerships. Please check out a few of our partners below:

– Get my lavalier microphones

– Start a podcast today here: https://rss.com/?via=moremovementplease

– Create content from your own voice with Castmagic’s Suite of AI Tools: https://get.castmagic.io/dcjy15cirnts

– Want to help support our show? Buy a girl a drink perhaps? https://ko-fi.com/famousashleygrant

– Need content for your podcast or blog? Check out Tools for Motivation!

The links above are affiliate links. This means my podcast will receive a small commission if you order through any of them at no additional cost to you. Affiliate commissions are one of the ways my podcast makes money so that I can create episodes free of charge. If you do purchase anything from my links, I sincerely would like to thank you for your support!

Full Transcript: Why I Don’t Believe in Total Rest Days Anymore

00:00:13
What’s up you guys? Famous Ashley Grant here
00:00:14
and welcome to More Movement Please. Today is
00:00:17
day 115 of my fitness journey of going maximum
00:00:21
effort on fitness and I’m actually on a walk
00:00:24
right now and so I wanted to just kind of hop
00:00:26
on here and… and talk with you guys about the
00:00:29
importance of active recovery days. Because anybody
00:00:32
who’s following my fitness journey, you know
00:00:34
that I am working out basically seven days a
00:00:36
week at this point. But two of those days I chose
00:00:38
as active recovery days. Now there are some times
00:00:42
that I will do… some kind of additional exercise.
00:00:45
Like I’ve started doing Zumba on Sundays. And
00:00:47
so technically speaking, I only have one active
00:00:49
recovery day. But more often than not, I do Wednesdays
00:00:54
and Sundays as my active recovery days. And so
00:00:57
why is this important, right? Why is it important
00:00:59
to have an active recovery day? And these are
00:01:03
the lighter days where… you’re not really going
00:01:07
as hard as you normally would. So why are they
00:01:10
important? Well, blood flow and waste removal
00:01:12
is the big one. When you do light movement like
00:01:15
walking or gentle yoga, you increase circulation
00:01:18
without stressing your muscles. And it also delivers
00:01:22
fresh nutrients and oxygen. to recovering tissues.
00:01:25
And it’s way more effective than just sitting
00:01:28
on the couch, because if you’re going to be recovering,
00:01:30
it doesn’t mean you can’t move. You still can
00:01:32
move. So when you still are moving, you’re preventing
00:01:36
stiffness, but you’re not adding strain. So after
00:01:39
intense workouts, muscles, they can get tight
00:01:41
and your joints can feel stiff. But gentle movement
00:01:44
and stretching, that’s what keeps everything
00:01:46
mobile, and it reduces that locked up feeling.
00:01:49
But unlike another hard workout, it doesn’t require
00:01:52
a lot. additional damage that needs repair. So
00:01:56
the other reason that active recovery days are
00:01:58
so important to me is the mental recovery, right?
00:02:01
That’s huge. When you’re training as many days
00:02:04
a week as I am, it can be mentally draining.
00:02:06
And this is especially true if it’s intense.
00:02:09
Like some of the exercises I do, some of the
00:02:12
classes I attend, they are pretty intense. And
00:02:14
these active recovery days that I’m doing, they’re
00:02:17
letting me stay in my routine and keep building
00:02:19
momentum, but they’re not adding pressure. They’re
00:02:21
not adding intensity. But it’s a psychological
00:02:24
break while still doing something positive for
00:02:26
my body. And the other thing is it keeps my nervous
00:02:30
system from getting fried. So high intensity
00:02:33
training, it taxes your central nervous system,
00:02:36
right? Active recovery days, they give it a break
00:02:38
while you’re maintaining movement patterns and
00:02:40
staying active. So when you’re working out as
00:02:44
much as I am. You got to make sure you add in
00:02:46
recovery days. But again, they don’t have to
00:02:49
mean that you’re not moving. So whether you’re
00:02:51
doing stretching or walking or light yoga or
00:02:54
something, you’re still doing low impact and
00:02:57
you’re still promoting mobility, but you’re also
00:03:00
aiding recovery without adding that significant
00:03:02
stress. So if you are working out a bunch of
00:03:05
days, I encourage you to consider adding in active
00:03:08
recovery as well. Just see how it feels. And
00:03:12
that’s the tip I’ve got for you today. I hope
00:03:13
you enjoyed this quick little episode about,
00:03:17
well, active recovery. And I hope it encourages
00:03:21
you to start adding active recovery days to your
00:03:24
workout routine. So with that in mind, onwards
00:03:28
and upwards, my friends, have you worked out
00:03:30
today?