How do you handle a rest day?

[CynthiaMarsha]

I sometimes struggle with rest days. I need to take one day off a week from all activity and really just rest. No working out. No pressure to accumulate steps. I am thinking to make it a thing I log once a week, to ensure I do it as a regular routine. How about you?

[Theresab]

By freaking out. I had a sore foot yesterday and decided to rest it. I worried all day about getting behind on my steps. I guess I am addicted.

[thedancinghiker]

Rest days? What are those? Just kidding. I don't have days where I do nothing, but maybe once a twice a week all I do is walk 10k. The other days I have moderate or intense workouts, so it feels like a rest day if all I do is walk.

[WendyB]

I walk every day. On one day a week I will do nothing more. But I always walk. I dont feel good unless I get my walk in.

[Heybales]

If walking is actually a hard effort to you because of being out of shape, not a bad idea.

But usually it's rarely a workout, meaning it doesn't require the body to improve much, merely a low level calorie burner. It's not like it's putting an additional load on the body that needs repair.

In fact for vast majority, walking is far below what would be Active Recovery HR zone, which is still a higher level for getting blood flowing and aid in repair from actually hard workouts, with adding any new load to recovery from.

Do you walking (well, 8 hrs is a load) everyday, perhaps just no goal walking. Sounds like other exercise isn't daily either, so already have rest days from that.

[flyboy]

When I'm training for a big race I follow a training plan which will have at least one rest day a week, sometimes two rest days.  If you're training for a running race or triathlon or something like that then your body needs a day or two a week to recover from your training loads.  If you're just looking for a rest from your regular day to day activities then you can schedule it if that helps you to incorporate it into your routine or take it on an as needed basis when you feel wiped out, take a day off and recover.  The big question is what do you need and what method will help you to get that rest in a manner that fits your life and needs best?  Answer those questions and your answer will be fairly obvious.

[13]

always do a light walk and i also do yoga. its  a good way to still burn calories, strenght train and relax.

[Hjane26]

I do "active rest" days at least once per week.  Usually that means it's cleaning house day.  Which that takes several hours, so I feel like it's a good option to just sitting around, but not moving muscles any particular way to enable them true rest for one day.  If I just can't sit still and need to workout, it's usually yoga, stretching or walking though.

[icangels231]

Good Morning Fitbit Community.

I am an avid fast pace walker and just this past week I feel really drained. I started at the beginning of April and my steps were through the roof as I walk seven days a week. Now, I just feel like a mac truck ran over me lol. Does anyone take a day of complete rest to "Renergize your whole body. I would appreciate your feed back on this. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I know for myself it is hard to rest but the last few days my knees were bothering me (even with the best running shoes that I wear) I think that I am entitled off to a day of rest, and being competitive always makes it harder. Have an awesome and Blessed day, everyone.

God Bless,

Lisa 🙂

Moderator Edit: Format Bold

[icangels231]

Good Morning Fitbit Community,

I realize the workout is going to produce positive changes but you also have to give your Body a rest when you are finding out that your energy level is low. It is just like are Fitbits when the battery level is low and drained. We have to to give our Fitbits a chance to repower itself. In turn our bodies have to regroup just like our Fitbits. I think that no matter what level you are at in your Workout whether you fast pace walk like myself or you are and avid runner. We all have to give our body a rest to "Get Back in that Groove". Being competitive like myself I realize it may be hard but you can pursue others ways to keep busy. Even treat yourself to a "Spa Day", or light house work what ever other way to keep yourself busy.

God Bless,

Lisa 🙂

[SantiR]

@icangels231 Welcome to the Fitbit Community! I moved your post to this thread and I realized you already posted here. This is the best thread to ask for this information. I'm pretty sure our users will share some of their tips for rest days. 

Keep up the super stepping! 

[Heybales · Accepted solution]

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@icangels231 wrote:

Good Morning Fitbit Community.

I am an avid fast pace walker and just this past week I feel really drained. I started at the beginning of April and my steps were through the roof as I walk seven days a week. Now, I just feel like a mac truck ran over me lol. Does anyone take a day of complete rest to "Renergize your whole body. I would appreciate your feed back on this. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I know for myself it is hard to rest but the last few days my knees were bothering me (even with the best running shoes that I wear) I think that I am entitled off to a day of rest, and being competitive always makes it harder. Have an awesome and Blessed day, everyone.

God Bless,

Lisa 🙂

Moderator Edit: Format Bold

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If it takes like a complete day off from doing even normal stuff - then the body is not recovering well for some reason.

Either level of workout is so intense it requires more recovery than it's being given - like lifting takes 24-48 hrs for good recovery.

Or workout is so long it's just a plain old stress on the body in general - like walking every day all day like backpacking overdone.

Or the diet is extreme enough along with one of the above it's making it worse.

A diet impares recovery anyway, the degree depends on the amount of deficit.

If your walking is now not being recovered from - I'd frankly look at how much or little you are eating. That could easily cause even walking not to be recovered from.

Did you select a reasonable weight loss goal for amount to be lost - or going for speed?

Are you meeting your daily eating goals - or figuring the farther you miss it the better?

Neither is true, and could easily cause effect you are seeing.

Just as vitamin and mineral difficiency will sooner or later show up with negative side effects - so also big calorie deficiency.

[Corney]

Don't become obesssive compulsive, taking a day off will not effect your physical fitness level.  Enjoy it!

[Aoifeh]

Hello,

I have set my exercise goal to 6 days and treating Sunday as a rest day. Should I take my fitbit off on my rest day and resume wear on Monday for day 1 of 6? Any help would be appreciated, I can't find a solution in any other thread. 

Thank you! 

[Dominique]

@Aoifeh: why? what benefits would you get from not wearing your Fitbit on your rest day? and what harm would wearing it do?

[Aoifeh]

Well first I wondered would my fitbit start over tomorrow or does it automatically recognise day 7 as a day of rest & start over on Monday. I know fitbits are used to measure overall wellness so that's why I asked. I have a tendency to get over obsessed with figures so a day without it would help me switch off completely & healthier for my mind. Again I was just looking for suggestions!

[Dominique]

For everything weekly in Fitbit, the start of the week is determined by what you selected in your settings:

It doesn’t matter whether or not you have a rest day, and if you’re having one, when you’re taking it.

I would say: don’t overthink it, just wear your Fitbit at all times (except when recharging it, showering etc.) and focus on living your life.

[SunsetRunner]

What about focusing on a weekly goal?  I sometimes don't make my daily goal but am over on the other days and make my weekly goal.  Life crops up and it's nice to have a plan so you don't have to freak out 🙂

[SunsetRunner]

I relaxed all the constraints a little bit so I don't strictly stick to exercise and rest days. Some days are more "lazy", other days are not. I'm just trying to be more active ( gym, running ) at least 3-4 times a week. Which days? Doesn't matter so much. I'm more strict about my eating habits though. I wear Fitbit all the time and as much as I don't care a lot about steps I track calories ( my first screen of the Charge 2 shows calories, not steps ). This I find more important and there's a simple rule that works for me daily - first 2 digits of the calories burnt must much or exceed current hour of a day. So I expect that at 13:00 I'm gonna see there 1300 or more calories burnt. Simple rule, but works for me quite well and I try to follow it even of rest days. If I see that I'm falling behind and I'm not feeling like going to the gym then I may take a walk or cycle to somewhere. Sometimes I exchange "sedentary" time to "half-sedentary" when I slowly cycle indoor ( I even learnt to be able to read a book and cycle in the same time - took a while 😄 ). Nothing very demanding. As long as my calories rule is met, I'm fine with that. All the rest of weekly exercising I use to stay in shape rather than to help me lose weight. I already lost way more than I should have and it gets tricky to stop this process. So depending on your goal, I would say take it easy and try not to turn it into an unbendable regime, because from there it is a thin line to cross and start hating it as if it was yet another chore to do 😉 If you incorporate a "rest day" then do what the given name says - rest 🙂

[Mukluk4]

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@CynthiaMarsha wrote:

I sometimes struggle with rest days. I need to take one day off a week from all activity and really just rest. No working out. No pressure to accumulate steps. I am thinking to make it a thing I log once a week, to ensure I do it as a regular routine. How about you?

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A rest day to me is more about getting steps in and less about effort.  Leisurely stroll, no weight room or basketball time, etc.