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Aug1

Planned vs. Spontaneous Rest Days

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Day 2 of The Week in Fitness is complete. I just ran 4 miles on the treadmill in my Vibrams. I wish I could have run outside (check out the gorgeous view of the lake by our house – I took this a few weeks ago when I was walking Maizey) but it’s just too dang hot and humid. The run felt good but when I stepped off the treadmill, I was felt reeeally tight in my quads and lower back. IMG_1705

Not as a result of that tightness, but as a result of a comment I got today on the Week in Fitness post, I’m going to adjust this week’s planned workouts. The mysterious “C” asked if I ever plan for rest days or if I find they happen regardless. I used to always plan for rest days but I haven’t consciously planned them lately…probably because I knew I’d inevitably skip a workout.

But C brings up a great point. I think that  that I’m skipping workouts which makes my motivation wane because “skipping a workout” is totally different than a “rest day.” Ya know? And while we all know it’s very important for the body to have a rest day, I think it’s equally important for the mind to know that a rest day is coming.

So, I’m deeming Thursday a rest day. I’m still planning an easy Yoga Download session but I always pick the easiest, gentlest ones so it’ll just be an extended stretching sesh, which will be good for both body and mind. Thanks for your comment C!

Do you consciously plan rest days or do they just happen as a result of skipping workouts?

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    23 responses to “Planned vs. Spontaneous Rest Days”

    1. I plan rest days. I have nothing planned on Sundays, Mondays or Thursdays. I’d say 75% of the time, I find some sort of exercise to get into on Sundays, but Mondays and Thursdays are 99% of the time total rest. I need the mental break throughout the week else I get totally burned out!

    2. I find that I have to plan rest days, usually its Saturday unless I am busy one day and know there will not be time to workout.

    3. Sunday is always a planned rest day. We’re just too busy for me to get anything in on that day. Usually I don’t have a planned workout (unless I have to take one of the kids to the gym for a class) on a Saturday, but we’re always doing something physical on that day so I don’t really worry about it.

    4. When I skip a workout, I always tell myself, I’ll make it up on my rest day. I NEVER do.

      I plan my rest days and stick to them, even if sometimes I should be making up my workout. 🙂

    5. I try to plan rest days but sometimes they occur spontaneously as a result of me skipping. If that happens, I try to make up for it but you know, it doesn’t always happen. Just gotta keep on. 😉

    6. I have to plan rest days. Otherwise I feel like I’m off schedule. I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s much better for me if I plan for them.

    7. I usually know the day of the week when a workout isn’t going to happen (i.e. we have dinner plans on a Friday night and I have a busy day before that, etc), so sometimes I kind of know when I’ll take a rest day. Other times I find that it’s sometimes nice to be more spontaneous. Sometimes I’ll be sitting on the couch and had no intention of running that day, but I want to get up and go run. Other days, I’ve planned on running and I’m tired or feel like I haven’t drank enough water that day, and I decide that taking that day off might be the best use of my time.

    8. I try to plan rest days, but it usually don’t work out that way. I let little things be an excuse to get out of a workout too often. It’s something I really need to work on!

    9. Sunday is always, without a doubt a rest day because the hours at my gym are so weird that day. Saturday can go either way, but if I don’t work out than I do feel a bit of guilt for a skipped workout.

    10. I feel the same way. For me, planned rest days are important so I KNOW when my body gets/deserves a rest. However, if I’m feeling really sore/injured or life is just cra cra crazy, spontaneous rest days do happen. Beautiful image of the lake! Running by water is so peaceful.

    11. C says NP (no problem) for the comment :D. I have to plan rest days or I end up resenting my workouts. Different strokes for different folks!

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