Importance of Recovery
4 Reasons Why Recovery is so Important
There is a lot of talk about how much you should exercise, how long, and what kind of exercise but there is not much emphasis put on recovery days.
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Recovery days are just as important, if not more important, than exercise, and should be a part of your weekly regimen. Not only should recovery days focus on the rest your body needs, you might also need mental and emotional recovery days as well!
The most important thing you can do is to be mindful of what your body is telling you. If you are physically sore, then those muscles need rest and recovery. If you have had a rough week mentally and emotionally and you feel exhausted, you need rest and some emotional renewal.
Here are 4 reasons why you should take recovery days seriously:
Rest Prevents Injury
Physical rest prevents injury. Make sure you are warming up and stretching prior to, and after your workouts. Taking days off can be difficult to do for those of us that really enjoy exercise. If you don’t take time off or take care of the soreness you are feeling or if you are having pain in a certain area, you could end up with an over-use injury. This means you could be down and out for a longer period of time.
2. Rest Promotes Muscle Recovery
Rest allows your muscles to recover. When do a hard workout or when you lift weights you are basically tearing small muscle fibers to build muscle. Your body needs time for these muscles to repair which also allows your muscle to grow.
3. Rest Improves Sleep
Rest helps you sleep better. If you give your body the recovery it needs, it will also allow you to sleep better. Sleep plays a huge role in your health and happiness. How do you feel when you are sleep deprived? If you are like me, you have more cravings, your thinking is impaired, and you are more irritable. During sleep your body repairs and restores itself. It heals itself by rebuilding tissue and eliminating toxins. Sleep also regulates your hormone levels. If you do not get enough sleep, you put your body in more stress which can activate your body’s stress response. Be sure you are getting enough sleep every night. Everyone needs a different amount but most studies indicate about 7 hours of sleep, but everyone is different. What amount is your sweet spot? Be honest with yourself and try to get that every night.
4. Rest Helps with Weight Loss
Rest and recovery primes your body to lose fat if you are trying to lose weight. When you are in physical or emotional stress, your body releases stress hormones. This has to do with your fight or flight response. If you are under stress, your body is in “fight mode” and this activates your stress hormones which can hinder weight loss. With chronic stress on your body and being in “fight mode” too much, you can cause the stress hormones to be constantly activated which can impact weight loss and fat loss.
Don't feel bad about not getting to the gym every single day. The Refine YOU Program helps it’s clients find the right balance exercise and rest. Workout enough and in the right ways to lose fat and gain muscle, but not too much to cause stress on your body. If you would like to learn more about how to prevent injury, check out this article. The Refine YOU Program can help you get the best bang for your effort. Click here for more info.
