Rest and Recreation: 4 crucial reasons to balance workouts and recovery
Even professional athletes need time to rest, so make sure you make time to relax!
Many fitness-minded people love working out, and they may prefer to exercise on a daily basis. However, you may have heard that athletic individuals need to alternate between workouts and recovery periods in order to stay healthy. This can be rather bothersome for individuals who are eager to meet health and fitness goals, and you may be wondering if it is really necessary. A closer look will tell you why recovery time after workouts is so critical and some of the different methods you can use to recover.
Replenish Your Stores of Energy
After a great workout, you can easily relax in a hot tub for recovery, and this will be time well-spent. Sore muscles may enjoy the soothing warmth of circulating water, and this can promote wellness and help you to restore energy reserves. You can even get hot tub accessories to help you target specific muscle groups easier. During intense workouts, your body’s stores of energy are rapidly depleted. Downtime between workouts gives your body ample time to replenish energy stores with nutritious meals and snacks, and this can help you to enjoy better results with your next workouts. This means that you can enjoy relaxing in between workouts with the knowledge that you are doing something healthy and productive for your body.
Repair Damaged Tissues
During workouts, very small tears in muscle tissue occur. This is a necessary process that helps your body to build even more muscle tissue. However, you must rest between workouts to give your tissue time to repair naturally and to ensure the best results from your exercising efforts. In the event that you cause an actual injury during a workout session, remember that you may be able to easily heal from a minor injury when you rest for a day or two. On the other hand, frequent and intense workouts can aggravate a minor injury. This could even lead to a serious injury that requires months of rest to recover from.
Rehydrate Your Cells
High-energy workouts can also pull a significant amount of hydration out of your cells. You need time in between your workouts to replenish the moisture in your cells for optimal health and well-being. Severe dehydration can lead to serious health issues. Keep in mind that hydrating several days before a heavy workout is ideal to reduce the chance of serious dehydration and to ensure that you are properly hydrated for your future workouts, but you still need to give your body some time to rehydrate after working out if you want to enjoy the best results.
Avoid Burnout
Another factor to consider when you are deciding how long to rest in-between workouts relates to the possibility of mental or emotional burnout. Athletes understand that exercising and staying fit requires mental fortitude. When you do the same activity too frequently, there is a chance that you could get burned out and lose interest or motivation in future workouts. This can be detrimental to your ability to achieve the goals that you have established. Giving yourself a day or two between workouts can help you to recharge physically as well as mentally and emotionally.
Remember that downtime does not always have to equate to time lounging in a hot tub or relaxing in front of the TV. You may be able to alternate workout activities to rest different muscle groups. For example, if you lift weights, you may be able to work on your arm and back muscles one day and your abs and leg muscles on another day. Even so, you should still plan to have a day free of physical activity on a regular basis for optimal wellness. Regardless of how you plan to rest between your workouts, you can enjoy numerous benefits by doing so.
