Do you ever take a day *Completely Off* from Working Out?

Hi All -

For all of you fitness freaks out there - do you ever take a day *completely off* from working out?  Or do you just do something less intense?

If you do take days off - how many days do you take in a week's time?

I have taken a full week off before - just felt like it - and it was tough the first two days then I was back in my groove!!  I usually take Sunday's off as well - but I am shopping, and doing laundry etc...

When I'm on schedule, I'm lifting 5 nights a week...Sat/Sun walking 4-6 miles daily...

I do take a week off from lifting every 9-12 weeks but I'm still doing something,

But sometimes life happens and I can't get to the gym one night, like last night...but I did alot of walking, so I wasn't just slothing for the night...

But to do absolutely nothing????  No way, I wouldn't get to eat enough to keep me going!  I exercise so I can eat!

Jem599: I would say, I eat so I can exercise. :) both are correct. Yesterday, I couldn't finish my weight lifting session and I had to go home and eat dinner mostly carbs to keep me alive.

I feel better today.

I work out a lot, but almost always take a day off each week. Usually Sunday. Basically, if I don't work out early in the AM, I won't do it, and on Sundays, I just want to sleep in. Sometimes though after a tough session on Thurdsay (my workout buddy also happens to be a personal trainer) I will take Fri off and try to do something on Sun.

I think i'd consider myself a fitness freak and I usually work out about 3-4 days a week.  I work out really hard on those days and I usually really need the rest.  I might not need so much rest once I get more conditioned but I just started doing some CrossFit type BootCamp workouts and they're really intense so I make sure I get plenty of rest days.  That, plus my BodyWorks classes at the gym and some cardio on other days and i'm done. 

Hmmm, the more I go, the more I want to go...I'm there about 5-6 days a week, taking Sunday off...Haha, that seems to be the trend, huh?  Sometimes I take a Wednesday or a Saturday off too...but I just started this boxing class on Wed...so there goes skimping on the gym there! 

On my days off, I COMPLETELY take them off.  I even take naps if I want!  Days off = eeeeeasy days.  :-D

I can't physically take a day off. Tried it, went nutty, had to run the stairs in my building, dance around my room, go for a walk, do pushups and such, etc. I just have SOOOO much energy that I can't sit around and do absolutely nothing all day. So, I guess I have to say, I relalllly reallly try to take a day off during hte week (it's reallly hard, but sometimes I can manage) and then I wind up doing tons of extra stuff just bc i can't sit still! lol

Is this a problem? If it is, I LOVE having it, way better than being tired all the time, right? But yes, those weeks that I am actually able to force myself to take a day off, it's a day off and I take it really easy. Seriously, a few flights of stairs and a few miles of WALKING? that's nothing, not really exercise :)

I also go nutty with a day completely off. The last 2 days I didn't go out for a workout due to excessive soreness (you should see me walk down the stairs, haha)... but I still had to work, which is coaching gymnastics (ie: warming up with the kids, stretching, spotting, chasing after 3 year olds, etc)... and yesterday I subsitute taught Physical Education, and that kept me active.

But a day where I sit on the couch all day long? NO WAY! I can't do it. I immediately feel like a pile of blubber!

i remember when days off used to drive me nuts, but now i listen to my body and generally take every second day off. especially at the moment since im just doing power yoga (which i would definately consider strength training as well).

i really think i was heading towards overtraining a few months ago. five+ days of about an hour in the gym (and im not talking powerwalking on the treadmill here!!!-but full on boot camp-style classes) was way too much for my body in the long term.
i think i was starting to get weaker, and a bit too skinny.
as for now..i think less can definately be more.
and i think im less reliant on my exercise high now, or it lasts longer or something.

I'm with Sarah and Sugar_baby, days off drive me crazy.  I have never willingly taken a day off, rather I have been unable to go to the gym due to some event I had to attend instead. I remember once I didn't go for three days and my body craved an intensive work out, it was pure bliss going back!! Plus going to the gym helps me not binge.

If i'm waiting for someone or the bus I can never just sit down or stay still, I'll end up walking up and down just to keep active.

People nickname me the Gym Junkie/Addict and wonder if I have a room there, lol.

I have now started jogging in the mornings Mon-Fri as well and I love it.

I'm usually the the 6 days a week. I take fridays off because im working from morning until 8-9pm usually...and i'm usually on my feet for most the afternoon (so its kinda of like a work out??). But if i'm ever just sitting around and i dont go to the gym, i'll get real cranky and keep thinking "i really need to hit the gym! im gaining ounces as i sit here!!".

Yes.  I always take Fri or Sat. off.  As a runner in training, this has helped prevent the knee & hip pain that is always at its worst on Wed. runs but with a day off very minor on weekend run.  A total day off is always a good idea because it allows your body to recover.  I am always lightest (scale reading lowest of the week) the morning after a day off....  I don't like that day off at all.  I get very itchy to run or do something.  But I really do think complete off-time is really important at least once a week when you are doing intensive training (I'm training for half marathon in March).

HI There,

I find that I also have trouble taking a day off.  I try to plan to take Sundays off and watch football, but it never seems to happen. I seem to usually go to the gym and at least do 30-45 min. of cardio.  I feel sooo much better after I go, its almost like I'm an addicted to the feeling that you have after working out.  I've only been doing this for about 6 weeks, and my friends and fam. keep telling me to take a day off to recover...but I feel so crappy when I do.  I have done it a few times, but find it dreadful and makes me feel lazzzzyyyyy.  Anyone else?

I am the same way!  I am antsy and restless on my "days off"... so I guess I was wondering if it was okay to just keep going, or if I really needed the rest day each week.

I have gone 12 - 13 days in a row in the past before my body started begging for a break - I am going to go back to listening to my body instead of taking the obligatory "rest day" from now on.  When I need a break, I'm sure my body will tell me so! : )

I'm a firm believer in listening to my body to tell me what it needs. Whether that be protein, carbs, vitamins, sleep, or even, recuperative rest. The trick is, of course, really listening to what your body is telling you.

Depending on the type of exercise you're doing, and how intensely you are doing it, will determine the amount of rest you need.

Professional body builders typically take two days off a week. Off, completely. No gym time. They need that time to rebuild the muscle that they are breaking down during their work outs. If they don't rest this often, not only are they increasing their risk of injury, but they aren't going to gain any new muscle either because their bodies haven't had enough time to develop the new cells.

Obviously, those guys are at an extreme end of the bell curve.

If exercise is riding a bike to the park every day, or maybe walking on a treadmill while watching T.V., you probably don't need to completely rest your body nearly as often.

I think a good rule of thumb, for me at least, is that if a muscle group is sore (workout sore, not injury sore) give it at least one full day of rest before you work it again. Two is probably even better.

If you are, say... a runner, who likes to run every day: After some amount of continuous days of running unique to your body, you are going to start feeling weaker, rather than stronger afterwards. You know, you get up the next morning and your muscles start revolting against your demands to do things like go up the stairs. Probably a good indication it's time to take a day off.

I, for instance, forced myself to take a day off yesterday. That was after eight days straight of intense cardio and gradually increasing in intensity weight work. My body today is quite pleased with the break, and I'm feeling stronger than ever right now. In fact, today starts a new phase of my work out where I will be doing two on, one off, three on, one off with the weights, and five on, two off with the cardio.

Okay... I'll probably end up doing six on, one off with the cardio just because, but it really should be five and two.

This will put me back into the exercise/rest rhythm that my body was used to for years, and I know works well for me.

 

 

Yeah, I work out 6 days a week, generally.  3 days of personal training (sometimes 4), with road biking on the others.  But I always take Friday off.  Partly because I get some days where either looking at my bike or being in a gym are too much, and partly to give myself a night to go out with my husband and/or friends.  I don't want to get myself to the point where I hate the gym or my bike, either.  I usually train M, W, Th, too, so Friday is a good choice for me.  And sometimes I pull back on the amount of cardio I'm doing because I'm finding that my joints are getting sore or I'm starting to get deminishing returns.  That's when I know I just need a break.