Exercising is different for all of us. Some of us love working out for the enjoyment and mental clarity that it brings, while others exercise to see how much they can achieve. Whether you’re exercising to stay active, or you’re competing to get stronger or faster, there are a few key elements that you’ll need to include in your routine to enhance your overall physical fitness. Supplements can help you through a rigorous regime, with the best BCAA supplement being the most popular. Rest is also an essential part of training and comes with a huge range of benefits. Read on as we take a closer look at why taking time to recover is crucial.
Repair And Grow
The likelihood is that when you embark on a new fitness regime, you’ll want to see results – whether you’re lifting weights, running, or cycling. And whilst you may find it hard to believe, rest is the key to making progress. Making sure you take time to rest and recover allows your muscles to repair from the strenuous exercise you’ve put them through. When you exercise, small tears occur in the fibres of your muscles, which then causes inflammation responsible for the aches and pains you feel after a hard workout. When your muscles have time to repair, they build back stronger and thicker, meaning your muscles will grow and you will make progress towards reaching your final goal. In contrast, if you don’t allow your body time to go through this process, your muscles will not be able to repair effectively.
Prevents Injury
No matter the exercise you’re doing, you will be placing stress on your body in a number of ways. Making sure you give your body time to recover after an intense workout means you will be less likely to suffer from injuries that could keep you from reaching your goals. Resting helps reduce muscle fatigue – training consistently means muscles reduce in power, and resting means they can regenerate for a great next workout. It can also help to improve flexibility. This means you’ll be less likely to suffer from any tears or strains. Generally, overtraining and not allowing your body to recover effectively can be detrimental, so it’s essential that you rest and recover to reduce the risk of serious injury, which could result in being unable to exercise for a while!
Psychological Rest
Whilst many of us exercise to reduce stress, trying to uphold a strenuous routine can be detrimental to our psychological health. Overtraining can cause you to feel tired and anxious, so taking the time to recover allows your body to improve and regain a good state of mind. Similarly to this, exercise is said to boost mood – for example, the runner’s high – but not giving yourself time to rest can lead to increase irritability, you may also feel unmotivated and simply not enjoy your routine anymore. Giving yourself time to rest allows you to remain positive and enjoy your workouts.
Enhances Performance
Whether you’re training for a marathon, or with weights to get stronger, including rest and recovery into your routine means you can improve overall performance. Whilst keeping up with regular training is important, overtraining will have the opposite effect, and will leave you feeling tired and depleted. To stay on top of your game, use rest to your advantage. Taking time out means your muscles and your cardiovascular system will build and strengthen, which increases endurance and strength. It can help increase range of motion and flexibility, improving performance and preventing injury so you can maintain your regime and smash your next race, or competition.
