Why Do I Feel Tired On Rest Days? Ask a Trainer

ONE The golden rule of fitness is that recovery days are just as important as training days. These much-needed breaks rejuvenate your muscle tissue and prevent injury. But if you find that the days of R&R are more tiring than the days when you go to the gym hard, the trainers say there is a simple explanation.

Here’s the deal: On recovery days, you’re relatively stagnant. (Maybe you’re just doing light stretches or spending a lot of time on Netflix.) Just because your heart rate is at rest, however, does not mean that the rest of your body is shivering.

“Your body does some serious work while it calms down,” he says Amanda Freeman, its founder SLT and Stretching * d. “This is literally the moment when your muscle tissue heals and rebuilds from your workout. It’s during this rest / repair period when your body gets stronger so that it can handle more pressure — heavier weights, longer runs, faster intervals, etc. ” In other words, your body is working hard to make tomorrow’s workout amazing.

To be able to fully recover from difficult periods of effort, your system needs to replenish two things: carbohydrates and fluids. Studies show that your body needs about 24 hours to replenish its carbohydrate stores and at least a few hours to reabsorb the fluids it needs. This is a very fast completion time, right?

Our body tissues, however, need a little more time: Studies show that we need several weeks of cycling through active and relaxing periods to fully recover (and achieve those gains that Freeman talked about above). When you take a day off, your body does not need to channel energy into your workout, so it is fully involved in rebuilding your muscles. This can affect your energy levels.

Also, if you are a morning trainer, FightCamp trainer Jess Evans points out that sleep when you are no you have to wake up for that workout at 6:30 p.m. can increase your feelings of fatigue. “You may be on a different program that may involve sleep and this may make you more tired. I would recommend that you stick to a program as close as possible to help with this fatigue of the mind and body and get out. “Nature or take a short walk to refresh your mind,” he says. “Getting an extra dose of sunlight will help your circadian rhythm.”

Of course, it is also possible that your day-to-day activities will deplete your energy. Maybe you’re preparing your meal for next week or watching an entire season Stranger Things—And you find that these activities (although good) cause your eyelids to droop. If this is the case, you can opt for tonic, yet relaxing, energetic recovery options, such as going for an easy hike, scrolling with foam, or swimming in low tones.

Overall, the trainers say that it is worth thinking about how to enjoy your rest day, because they are absolutely crucial – not only for your physical well-being, but also for your mental health.

“Rest days are not just important, they are necessary. Sometimes younger athletes struggle with this idea, but the time spent resting and recovering is just as important as the time we spend on fitness goals. The body and the mind needs time to repair the exercise stem, “says Chris Layda, SoulCycle’s chief instructor.

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