Is quitting exercise a week beneficial?

[TheRamenRater]

So I've been losing weight just fine since October of last year. I've been increasing my walking every month, however I'm kind of in a bind. Last month I averaged 27,000 steps a day. This takes a lot of time out of my day and I'm finding my stamina to be great, but I wonder. If I stopped walking for a week, would I lose that stamina and then have to work harder to regain it, therefore making my workouts work more for me? 

[Dominique]

Basic rule: whatever exercise you engage in, you should make sure it’s sustainable and you are able to recover from it. 27k steps a day is a lot, especially as an average over several weeks, and even more so if you are still carrying extra weight. Uninterrupted weight loss for almost 12 months is also very long. You cannot keep increasing your step count forever, same with losing weight. The law of diminishing returns kicks in at some point, maybe it has already for you. I don’t see any problem in taking a week off from walking. On the contrary, it’s a good way to avoid burning out. What you may also do is diversify your physical activity: if you are currently spending 4-5 hours walking, make that 2-3 and spend one hour doing resistance training.

[Baltoscott]

Hi @TheRamenRater — A week off by itself won’t make a big difference in your stamina and it is important to build in rest periods to any exercise regime.  Of course, it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. A rest week might mean you drop your steps by half for the rest period.

But I agree with @Dominique that you should try diversifying your exercise.  Not only does 27K steps/day take a lot of time, it can also lead to injury, which can lead a dramatic drop in exercise unless you have built in some alternatives.  Ultimately maybe your drop your averages steps to 20K or so, and work in 3 or 4 days a week of something else.  

[NikkiGeorgianna]

Maybe, but it's possible to get in a rut and not restart your routine. I did that a few months ago and It took about a workout or two to get back to my previous best. However, I will say I had to motivate myself to get back on schedule. 

[t.parker]

@TheRamenRater I can't speak for walking as I do it to rest from other exercising routines but here is how I see it. I have a habit of taking a week off from exercising when I observe any symptoms of over-exercising. I find it very beneficial and when I go back to my normal routine I very often beat my personal bests feeling lot stronger. I am during such week off now. This time, I have been forced to take it due to minor injury of my right foot. But I don't see it as something bad. One should know how to exercise but also should know when to take breaks. I still do my daily activities but no crazy stuff like for example, HIIT training. It also affects my eating habits. More likely, when week off starts I will slightly overeat and then my hunger and needs for energy stabilize. Going back to the routine is easy. When Monday comes, I am so pumped to do something with all the energy I got from recovering that all I think is to get another PB. It may be just my individual case but it works always like that on the regular basis. One thing that you should remember is not to feel guilty about doing "nothing". Resting isn't nothing. It is very important "something".

[emili]

you would not lose stamina over a week, but I do wonder what you are doing to your feet and joints doing so much day after day for months. I think shaking things up and building in rest days is a necessary thing not just for your body but for your mind as well. Do half those steps on some days and add in strength training or biking or swimming, dancing- whatever other thing even minutely interests you. You will still burn calories towards weight loss and give your feet knees and hips a break. 

[WendyB]

I agree with everyone. You are focused on steps and thats all.

You need strength training. Also vary the workouts so you dont get bored.