7 Ways to Optimize Your Rest Days

Rest days not only help your body recover from training, but they also replenish your energy and refresh your mind.

“Taking a rest day is like recharging your batteries — we only have so much energy to go around, and rest days help you use it to the fullest,” says Jordan Hosbein, NASM-certified personal trainer. “On a rest day, your energy is used to recover and grow stronger and healthier rather than expelling energy on sprints or burpees, making you feel alert, confident and alive with a sense of well-being.”

Rest days also help protect you from injury because they give your muscles the time they need to recoup and heal from all the micro-tears that exercise inflicts on them during workouts.

“Injuries can happen easily when you overexercise or repeatedly push the boundaries of what your muscles can take,” says certified personal trainer Caleb Backe. “Therefore, regular rest days are an essential component of a safe workout routine, as it minimizes the stress and strain on your body, which — if it results in an injury — can mean you’ll have to take more time off than a planned rest day here and there.”

While exercise has been linked to enhanced sleep, rest days in between can help further facilitate proper rest because it maintains a healthy balance of cortisol (the stress hormone) in your body.

Clearly, rest days are quite important — and something you should incorporate into your exercise routine. Here are some expert-approved tips for how to optimize your rest days.

Rest right with these tips! »

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