The Value of Rest
Many times I have had clients become frustrated by the setbacks that result from taking time off from training. It is completely understandable when you consider that they were on a course of making great
progress toward their health goals and now that progress has stopped. Whether it was an injury or a vacation that led to missing weeks of workouts, the fact that they lost ground and feel weaker is discouraging
to them.
What is important to remember in these instances is the fact that rest does our bodies well, and is often exactly what we need. Taking time off from exercise gives our bodies the chance to heal and rebuild, and provides the foundation from which even greater progress can be made. So if you ever have to stop working out for a time, see it as an opportunity to rest before making your next great move forward.
Keep in mind that for active individuals rest is as important as exercise. Too often people who exercise undervalue the importance of rest to not only their recovery, but more directly to their progress. Constant breaking down of the body, even through the positive stress of exercise, is highly detrimental when not accompanied by sufficient rest.
Overtraining results from too much exercise with too little rest, and its impacts can be enormous. Consequences of not getting enough rest include an increased risk of illness and injury, fatigue, and at best a plateau in fitness, but at worst, a regression. For this reason, it is important to schedule rest and recovery into a training plan. Just as exercise type, duration, and intensity are scheduled, rest days should be planned. By maintaining the optimal balance of both activity and rest, fitness progress can continue.