I’ve not always been the biggest fan of a rest day and i’m sure many can relate to me on this, taking that day off from exercise was not an option, once your in the ‘zone’ it can be mentally very tough. Over the years i’ve learnt to listen to my body and understand how vitally important recovery days are for you, further more, by training smart you can really look forward to your well earned R & R.

5 reasons to put your feet up

To see the benefits of your training you must rest. During time off your muscles repair and grow, so you actually get fitter and stronger. Reward yourself for training hard!

Give your mind a rest, switch off and unwind. You can easily obsess about your training which can have a negative effect on other parts of your life. You can also burn out mentally and find exercise becomes a chore, so recover and continue enjoying.

You feel fresh enabling you to train harder on your next workout. As well as being fully recovered i’m usually itching to get back to it, and find my first session back from a rest day is a banger.

Minimize the risk of injury by giving your muscles time to repair themselves. Training causes micro-tears in your tissues which need time to repair, if you don’t allow time off you won’t fully recover and risk potential injury.

To replenish your energy stores, get the glycogen and fluids back in your muscles.

Hydrate, eat nutritious food and get a good nights kip to benefit from your day off!