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As I mentioned before in my current fitness routine, I usually take 1-2 rest days a week. Typically it’s more like two instead of one because I find my body thrives on two rest days. However, it used to be no rest days for me.
Why, you ask? Well, I felt guilty.
Earlier, I posed the question: “How often do you take rest days. Do you ever feel guilty?” I got a variety of different responses.
On days where I am fairly busy, having a rest day didn’t bother me. However, if I wasn’t planning on doing much for the day, rest days killed me. I felt anxious and my leg did this annoying little jiggle the entire day as if I just couldn’t wait to expel some energy. In fact, when we went on our trip to Europe in 2009, I remember my mom telling me to stay hydrated that day since we would be on the plane for such a long time. Apparently to me, that meant going out and running five miles in the 95 degree heat since I wouldn’t be able to work out for 14 days. Never mind the endless amount of walking we would do in Europe. I just had to move.
I love being active – but I also love having my rest too. With some trial and error, I have found that 1-2 rest days works best for my body. If I continuously exercise six days with no rest, my body begins to break down. Slowly but surely, I will feel run down, tired, and lethargic.
Having exercise guilt is tough – and it is something one could easily begin to tear them self down about. I don’t feel bad about taking my rest days anymore. I know that I need to recuperate. My muscles need to repair themselves. I need to take a day to sit around and not do much of anything at all. And that is okay. But how in the world does one go from not being able to rest at all to being completely fine with taking rest days without feeling guilty about it?
It will be uncomfortable. The first few times I let myself take a break and truly rest, I felt uncomfortable. I had to move. I wanted to move. Just a little run wouldn’t hurt. If you experience exercise guilt, you’ll probably want to throw in the towel the first few times. Eventually, it gets easier. Sooner or later, it becomes the “norm” – just like your old “norm” was feeling guilty about not exercising.
Stay busy! In those first few weeks when you’re getting over feeling guilty about not exercising, nix your workout on the days where you are most busy. That way, you won’t even have time to think about missing a workout!
Don’t compare yourself to others. In the health and fitness blog world, it is really easy to get caught up in comparing yourself to what others are doing. Believe it or not, people who take steps in living a healthy lifestyles are the minority. It’s difficult to see yourself as “doing a great job” if you compare yourself to someone who might be doing just a little bit more than you. Everyone’s body is different. What works for you might not work for others, and vice versa.
Remember your body is thanking you. I swear we beat our bodies up so much. We are given our one body to carry us through over our lifetime. In 60 years, I think you’ll appreciate giving yourself adequate rest and nutrition so you can live a long and healthy life. Our bodies are so smart – if we continue to work them too hard, they will shut down on us. It is better to take those rest days before “operation shut down” occurs.
And you should thank your body. Often we take our lifestyles for granted. Think of all the people who cannot exercise at all due to limitations in their life. Take time to thank your body for allowing yourself to be as active as you are and take those rest days for all they’re worth!
Question: Have you ever had “rest day guilt” before? What did you do to combat it?
{ 77 comments… read them below or add one }
I always feel guilty when I haven’t worked out for a day or two. I sometimes think of it as a good thing though because it means I am motivated to stay activated right? It’s good to desire that workout, but not good to obsess over it
I’ve never thought about it like that - I suppose so, as long as you don’t obseess!
I FEEL YA! thats why I give myself one per week normally but when im on holiday (aka now..) I try to workout when I can but ive had to take 2 this week so far becuz of travel plans, whic im okay with. its all about balance and as long as u workout normally and stay fit- there shud be no guilt.. esp when ur sticking to a healthy diet!
ohh great topic!! I’m resting today actually! Mine are always so random, but I like it better that way. I used to not like skipping out on a day or two (usually it happened b/c I was soooooooo busy) but now I actually make days for it! I always remember that if I don’t rest, my exercising will be a little bit in vain because my muscles won’t grow to their full potential if I don’t. Also, I just stay active by continuing to enjoy strolls and stuff. My muscles need fueling and chilling for it to be healthy, kind of like us!
BTW I’m not saying that I’m like Schwarzenegger or anything haha, but that’s what it sounded like.
I’m sure you’ve got amazing guns.
Haha TWINSIES!! I just did a rest day post!!
Your tips are awesome!! Thanking your body is SO important!!
I definitely used to get rest day guilt, but I don’t any more! I just know that they make me STRONGER and remind myself of that all the time! And I fill my day with things I LOVE doing so I don’t dwell on it!
Absolutely loved and needed that encouragement today!
I always have one full day of rest each week and don’t have any guilt from it. I know that rest is just as if not more important to my fitness goals. I will add in extra rest when feeling sick without guilt too. However I do find exercise guilt when I end up with an unplanned rest day because of being busy/stressed/etc. It’s so silly though! Sometimes we need that mental break too. I know that but don’t always match up my emotions with that…at first anyways. Then I give myself a swift kick in the rear.
It is silly, isn’t it? In the long scheme of things, it’s not giong to make/break you - just like eating healthy and then taking a meal or two to indulge a bit!
I had a rest day yesterday and it was horrible!!!! I had no appetite and I kept getting nap attacks. Thanks for the encouragement!!
I always am MORE hungry on rest days! Go figure!
To be honest I sometimes WISH I felt the guilt! I have to talk myself into working out more often than not.. so when rest day comes around I am more than excited to take it! I never, ever feel guilty for resting. BUT, I do feel guilty for skipping 3 or 4 workouts in a row for no reason at all, other than the fact that I am a lazypants.
oo I love this perspective!
LOVE THIS!!! Girl, once again you nailed it!! I LOVE the part about thanking your body and allowing it the rest that it needs!! I used to get exercise guilt SO SO BAD but I am thankful I have realized that it is what I need to become my best:)
And you are the best - so your rest days must be awesome.
I looove love love rest days! It’s different, it’s fun, it’s relaxing and I try to do other things that I enjoy.
rest day guilt? oh yes definitely! I get ants in my pants, and just WANT to get out there and do something, even when I know I should just chill and then I have their weird mental state going on…so usually I just go for a 10 min walk around the block and leave it at that.
That’s a great tip! I usually take Charlie for a walk if I’m getting antsy!
I love this! Rest days really are so important. I have one “definite” rest day a week, and one “light” quasi-rest day - mostly stretching after a “long” run. And depending on what I’ve got going on, maybe more! If I miss a workout I have planned I don’t really feel guilty about it because I know it’s for good reason, though if I’ve got a scheduled rest day with nothing planned I tend to feel a little antsy. Still not guilty, but not quite “embracing the rest,” either.
And, I really like using quotes, apparently.
Did you use to watch Friends? You jsut reminded me of when Joey used the “quotation mark” in the air wrong.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bW8OkSJvhvE
So funny.
haha, i know, right?! when i say it in my head it makes sense - you know, long in quotes because long to me is short to most, that kinda thing. It looks so wrong to read, though.
I thought about changing it, but then just laughed at myself…
Rest days are hard for me. I feel like I look less toned and feel my legs jiggle when I rest but I know it’s just my mind playing tricks on me! Thanks for talking about this, I feel like no one really mentions it because we are so encouraged to just suck it up and work it out!
I used to have a REALLY hard time taking a rest day. I think it’s just taking action to stop feeling so guilty about it that has really helped me and seeing that it’s so much better for my body to give it a break sometimes!
I used to deal with extreme rest day guilt, and I’d run myself into the ground trying to work out 7 days a week. It was brutal and it got to a point where I did some serious damage and just started to hate exercise in general. These days, I always always let my body rest… it was hard at first, but I began to notice my body thanking me (love that!) and that I could put in better workouts on the days I DID exercise.
Amen to that! I always exercsie so much harder after I’ve taken a rest day. I love it.
Yes I get this way sometimes too! I’ve found the staying busy is the best cure. I usually take 2-3 rest days or just walk somedays when I’m not feeling it (like the past 4 days!) Thanks for this post!
Lately I’ve been taking more rest days than usual - 2-3 days instead of 1-2 -which has left me not only feeling a bit guilty, but also feeling less energetic! I think rest days are so important and necessary, but it’s definitely hard not to feel guilty about taking them! A little walk is always nice a nice way to expel some energy on a rest day though.
This is such good advice. I know I need to take more rest days, but lately, my vision of rest days is a day not doing cardio. I’m starting to consider Body Pump or Strength Training my rest day.
I can see how that would be restful for you since you’re used to running so much. But remember that your muscles need to recover after a strength training day!
Great tips, Chelsey! I don’t always plan a rest day into my schedule, I often just let my body tell me when he needs rest. I never let myself feel guilty, normally because I’m so busy with other things, but also because, like you mention, it is so important to allow your body that rest time. We heal, repair and recharge in that down time, so in order to be energized enough to do your next workout, you need the rest!
I am just starting to always listen to my body. If I needs a rest. I NEEDS a rest!! But usually I will give myself a rest day everyweek. I never try to say WORKOUT this many times a week, more of just being active and enjoying it everyday if possible
I get crazy rest day guilt- even today I felt really weird and anxious all day. Great post- I think it’s something a lot of us deal with!
Thanks! I was a little antsy today too. I ended up doing an abs video! haha I was feeling the burn!
when I start to feel that way I try to get outside for fresh air, write in my prayer journal, or just do something good for my body. Like a few yoga moves, an espom salt bath, etc. THen the next day I remember why I rested!
Thank you for this post! I always struggle with the “rest day” guilt. Especially when someone asks, “Oh how far did you run this morning??” And it happens to be my rest day. I don’t run everyday people!
haha - that’s the worst, isn’t it?!
I have totally experienced this! I generally take 1 rest day a week, but if I really feel like I need another one, then I’ve learned to give my body what it needs. I feel so much better overall when I do that. I just wrote a post today thanking the parts of my body that I’m not always pleased with! You should check it out
.
I’ve been trying to take rest days as my body needs it instead of scheduling them, and this has led me to take a rest day about twice a week. Before this, I normally took 1 rest day a week on a very specific day, and at that point, exercise was becoming a chore instead of something that was invigorating and energizing. Moreover, sometimes I didn’t really feel like I needed the rest on that particular day…oftentimes, it would have been more beneficial for my body on one of the previous days. Really listening to my body and determining when it needs the breaks has been working wonderfully so far, and I honestly feel that exercise has become fun again for me!
Thanks for featuring my tweet!
I tried to get away with “active rest” days when I was training for my 2nd/3rd half marathon… but all that did was take me out of running commission for 6 weeks. Stupid shin splints. :/ You live and you learn!
I used to work out 4 or 5 days a week. Had NO problem taking 2.. or even 3 rest days. I would be interning all day and in school at night.. so I had no other option. BUT .. then I started getting crazy.. never wanted to takea rest day. I am slowly incorporating regular rest days back into my routine. It is def a work in progress though.. the guilt still kicks in!
ugh, I always have guilt if I take more than 2. I know it’s because my body needs it, but it’s still tough to accept. I’ll try and go for a long walk or something if I really feel antsy, but then I guess it’s not really “resting” then is it…
Honestly, I don’t feel guilty for resting as it allows me time to rejuvinate and refresh. I also find it makes my workouts even better the next week because I’ve let myself unwind and relax for a couple of days. Rest days are essential to me so I can’t feel guilty for something that is helping me stay healthy!
I used to have terrible rest day guilt…then I got a minor injury and realized it’s better to train smarter, not harder. Smarter = take those rest days! My main feeling of guilt is that I always eat horribly or an immense amount of food and become a lazy slug. I try to do something else that’s active in a different way - take my dog for a walk, go play putt-putt with friends, play with my nieces and nephew, that way I’m moving without actually “exercising”.
I am HORRIBLE at taking rest days. Horrible, and I KNOW that I should. I am MUCH better at taking em when I’m in school because most Fridays we have games going on so I give my body a break on Fridays, but in the summer with nothing to do, I feel the need to move! It’s something I struggle with all.the.time.
I actually work out seven days a week with no rest day scheduled. Basically, my workouts aren’t intense (I swim) and planning to go everyday means that the one day when I have plans, or I just feel like doing 5 minutes I have no guilt.
My “rest days” are not planned, they just happen. That way I have no guilt.
thanks for this post, Chelsey! I’m currently going through a rest day dilemma. I give myself 1-2 days a week, like you do, but I’ve been pushing myself so hard these past few months that I think I need a rest week. Not a full week off, but maybe just 30 min cardio a day for 5 days to just give my body a little break.
I battled with rest day guilt tonight. I have been really tired all week and have a big day ahead of me at work tomorrow evening, so I just listened to my body and stayed on the couch curled up with my sleepy kitty tonight. In the end, I am glad I rested, but I did feel bad about not getting to the gym.
thanks for featuring my crazy tweet
i have a big problem with feeling guilty. i try to convince myself that my body needs rest but its hard. luckily, the weekend distracts me enough so i usually do get 1 or 2 days rest!
i take one rest day a week….this is great when i have school but now during summer i get a little antsy not having anything to do. i usually will plan my rest day on sunday since that is usually when i see family and everything so it gives me something else to do!
I think it was really hard for me when my husband and I were doing a lot of driving-traveling…so you’re sitting in a car for 10+ hours a day, bored and limited in what you CAN do. Those are the days I tried to eat good foods, drink water (but not too much haha) and think about what I would do once we were back to reality. It’s hard sometimes, but really…it isn’t the end of the world so we do need to cut ourselves some slack some of the time!
Yeah that would drive me crazy too!
I feel bad if I miss a workout during the week. For some reason I don’t feel quite so bad missing a workout or taking a rest day on the weekends.
I usually plan a rest day every Saturday. If I take any more days off I definitely feel guilty/anxious. When something becomes routine it’s always going to feel weird breaking that habit but I think we could all be a little easier on ourselves
I’m really bad at taking rest days and NOT feeling guilty. I do take one a week anyway, and mostly enjoy it, but I still need to learn how to enjoy it without beating myself up all the time.
Fantastic post! Completely agree that we totally beat our bodies up more than 90% of the time… I want to live until I am 113, so I take a few rest days every week!
113? Sounds like a great age to me!
I feel guilty about taking rest days when I’m not doing much of anything. If I’m out and about, running errands, keeping busy, etc., I don’t feel too bad, but if I’m sitting around on the couch at home, I feel SO guilty! It really use to affect my mood, but I realize that my body needs that rest!
Wow Chelsey, this post couldn’t have come at a more perfect time. Seriously. This was meant to be. I’ve been in a weird mood all week and today I was way too tired to work out and a rest day was probably in order, so I took it. I have been active all week but nothing too intense, and part of my rut was me feeling down on myself, so I started to feel super guilty. I had to work through it in my mind because I knew my body was telling me what to do. It’s like how running and exercise is just as much mental as it is physical, well so is taking the time to rest.
Our bodies and minds are complex organisms, and as much as we have to provide our bodies with proper nutrition and exercise, we need to nourish our minds as well. This post helped my mind relax. I need to quit beating myself up in my head, that only makes things worse on my mind… almost like working out without a rest day would have done on my body.
I’m so glad this post came to you at the right time!
I get rest day guilt sometimes. Especailly if it happens to be a really unproductive rest day where I just sit around and watch movies and read blogs! I’ll think to myself wow you are so lazy you couldn’t even get off the couch to pop in a Jillian DVD? But our body does need rest days so our muscles can repair and build up! I always remind myself of that!
I definitely have guilt issues with rest days, especially in race training and especially now that it’s summer and I have a less strict schedule. I had a doctor’s appointment last week for Lyme disease and I insisted on running 2 miles before going to it! I figured it was only 2 miles and I’d be alright. I ran it in less than 18 minutes so it wasn’t necessarily terrible time-wise but it was by far the worst 2 miles I’ve ever done feel-wise. It was awful! Lesson learned though, I definitely took the next day off. And I’ve been thinking, I want to still be a runner when I’m an old lady so I better not get any chronic injuries this early on!
I do try to take a rest day each week and I agree that staying busy helps.
Great post Chelsey!
Awesome post Chelsey!
And yes, I do have exercise guilt sometimes, too. Especially yesterday, and the day before yesterday, and the day before the day before yesterday, and the entire week before that. I didn’t exercise at all (aside from sand volleyball and walking on the beach) during my vacation. I went into it telling myself that if I felt like going for a run, then I would, and if I’d rather kick back and have a laid back vacation, then I would…and that’s what I ended up doing. When we got back I was so busy moving to my new place that I just didn’t have time. I have felt guilty because I am supposed to be training for a marathon, and I am afraid that if I miss too many runs then I won’t be ready.
Today I finally had some time to myself, so I went out for a nice, easy run. To my surprise, the run felt great, and even though I’d been off for ten days…I still had it in me! It was definitely proof to myself that I don’t need to be so hard on myself sometimes!
Great post! I never used to take rest days, but I have realized in the last year or so I can run so much further and so much better if I take two rest days per week. My body and mind feel so much better when I can take these days! I experience guilt from time to time, but sometimes there is more to life than running everyday! And I realize I will be able to run the next day, so why not enjoy the time off!
I had rest day guilt until I got injured. I embraced rest days after dealing with shin splints.
I hate rest day guilt! I completely agree with planning it for your busiest da though! Then it is almost a relief:) I also find it harder to be motivated after I take a day off, even if I was feeling guilty the day before? What can I say, I’m crazy!
I sometimes get rest day guilt; I tend to have two set rest days - the day before and the day after a long run - but if I feel fit as a fiddle on both those days, I’m always thinking ‘ but I don’t wanna reeeesssst! I have ENERGY!!’ and I just want to run!! I know they’re good for me though, and I’ve done the whole no-rest-day thang, and it was no help whatsoever. Rest days are GOOD!
I used to get major rest day guilt, especially when I was sitting on my butt all day. But now because of my summer job I’ve been forced to take 4 rest days a week and guess what? It hasn’t killed me! It’s been so freeing to realize I don’t have to be so tied down to exercise.
Hey Chelsey! I’m a new reader, and haven’t commented much (yet!) but I just wanted to say that I absolutely love this post - it is such a wonderful thing to talk about, as exercise guilt can be prevalent among those with active lifestyles…and that is sad because it is negative, unnecessary, and not at all self-compassionate. Like you, through life, learning, trial and error, I have let go of that guilt for not exercising - and feel a million times happier and healthier because of it <3 Loving your positive, balanced attitude towards health, exercise and appreciating our bodies…this post was sooo good. Thank you honey! xyx
I deal with “rest day guilt” sometimes, but not as often as in the past. I take 1-2 days of rest during the week and I’m comfortable with that. I always walk a lot everyday, so that’s help me to not feel guilty on rest days because I am still moving around a lot. Just not getting a good sweat session!
I definitely feel guilty/slothful on days when I don’t have some sort of exercise. Typically I try to either walk to work, or just try to cut out heavier foods so that I don’t feel completely glutunous and bloated. Makes the next day that much easier to get out and going!
Hi Chesey! First time commenter here, but I read daily.
Thanks for this post and your positive perspective on rest! I am often hard on myself in many aspects of my life, including exercise. It’s interesting to see I’m not alone and how others deal with this mindset. Today (my rest day!), I will turn the focus from guilt to appreciation for my health!
Love this topic - I think there are so many sites that make people feel like they need to only eat tiny meals and workout hard everyday, and I definitely fell prey to it and felt serious guilt for taking a rest day or over indulging. Once I realized that not allowing myself to indulge and rest was actually making me unhealthy. I rest once or twice a week, and if I get in six workouts workout six is usually pretty light. I only feel guilty if I miss three or four days in a row out of pure laziness - which is pretty rare.
I used to have rest-day guilt all the time, but I have relaxed a little bit. However, I feel so restless at night when it is time for bed if I haven’t expelled much energy that day. It could be because I eat the same amount of food whether I work out or not.
I love and agree with all your bullet points! I usually take my rest day on Sunday, which is usually my busiest day with church, family time, errand running, and cleaning. I never feel guilty if there’s honestly no time to workout! I strategize so that my rest days never land on days where I would otherwise just be sitting home and doing nothing… I like to enjoy my down time to the fullest, and I feel like I can’t do that unless I’ve gotten a good workout in first! And then I always have to remind myself that healthy living bloggers are the exception-not the norm. I should never feel guilty about rest because I’m already doing much more than the truly average person! And finally, I had an extremely recent scare a couple of days ago involving my heart and I thought I might have to severely cut back on my exercising (which would have broken me; I’m so in LOVE with sweating!) Thank heavens the doctor said I shouldn’t be worried, but now, every second I’m working out, I’m thanking God and my body for giving me the ability to do so!
I take to rest days 2 a week, If I don’t my workouts suck.
I used to have major guilt problems but now I just bake or take my dog for a walk and the guilt goes away
I used to feel guilty all the time for taking rest days, now I am excited when I get to take a day off. I know I work hard these other days, so my body is happy for not doing anything. Although I still struggle with not stressing over it, but do know it is okay.
When I hurt my knee (and when I say hurt, I mean REALLY badly), I couldn’t work out AT ALL. It was really hard, but I just kept telling myself I’d rather heal up NOW instead of making the process go ON AND ON for a million years.