Rest Stress

Rest days stress me out...

When I ran highish mileage rest days didn't really bother me, since there's only so much pounding the joints can take, even the pros take a full rest day every 7 days.

Cycling-being way easier on the body-doesn't make me feel like a need day off, and it seems like even at the local competative level total rest days are unusual-it's more about "active recovery." I rode 186 odd miles this week, ran 15 miles, 3x30min eliptical, and 3 weight training sessions, but I am totally stressed about rest days. I feel like what ground I gain training wise, I lose weight loss wise...

How often should I have a total rest day? Should it every be TOTAL rest (ie, no eliptical, no run, no nothing?) How do I not stress about it without trying to starve myself that day?

(btw, I am not an eating disorder type, I am 10-15 lbs above my ideal weight with a contrary metabolism)

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Originally Posted by runnergirl

How often should I have a total rest day? Should it every be TOTAL rest (ie, no eliptical, no run, no nothing?) How do I not stress about it without trying to starve myself that day?

(btw, I am not an eating disorder type, I am 10-15 lbs above my ideal weight with a contrary metabolism)

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Newsflash... overweight people have eating disorders, too. It has more to do with your attitude about food and eating than whether your body looks anorexic or not.

I find it helpful to track calories consumed and expended. This helps me eat appropriately on rest days and fuel myself adequately on exercise days. IMO, a rest day is a rest day. As in... absolutely no planned exercise at all. If you just can't stand the thought of this, you may need to reconsider your attitudes towards food and exercise and body self-image.

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Originally Posted by runnergirl

but I am totally stressed about rest days. I feel like what ground I gain training wise, I lose weight loss wise...

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I know THAT feeling! It's just another manifestation of my obsessive/compulsive nature. Harkens back to that puritan guilt of being idle, I guess. What rest days do for you is make you a BLUR of speed when you get back on the bike the next day. I just have to talk myself off the ledge on those rest days. ;) It really isn't constructive to skip your rest days - gotta give those muscles a chance to build themselves.

are you training for something specific? it sounds like you are exercising a WHOLE lot.

Remember the training gains occur when the body is AT REST, not while actually training. training is applying a stress to the body, and while hte body is not training, the body adapts physiologically, so it improves. You have to make sure that you are eating enough calories. if you aren't losing any weight with all this exercise, it is likely you are not eating enough. your body knows but one thing, protect what is inside. if you are putting your body through that much stress in training, and not eating enough nutrients and calories, your body will resist shedding off extra pounds.

Your attitude towards exercise reminds me a lot of exercise addiction. You might want to read up on it. (i am not trying to offend in any way and i apologize if i do).
http://www.rrca.org/publicat/addict.html

As long as you don't pig out on your rest days, you should be fine. In general training regiments recommend lowering calorie intake on days you're not doing a whole lot. I try to eat more fruits/veggies on my off days and keep my calorie intake low (around 1500 calories).

a suggestion might be to plan something on your rest day like a movie or shopping. Something that will keep you busy without taxing your muscles.


(now if CorsairMac would just Take that little piece of advice she just Gave......)

At least one rest day per week, yes, total rest. It's a day for your body to recover, adapt, and re-fuel, so starving yourself or skipping rest days is counter productive. Skip them at your own risk, and risk overtraining, and long term enforced rest from it, if you can't relax.

Consult a nutritionist if you don't think you can get the balance between what your asking of your body and re-fueling it.

Active recovery is good in between days of hard training, again to allow the body to adapt. Active recover also plays a role in between efforts in a set of intervals. Active recovery on the bike means pedalling without feeling like your putting in any effort.

Just because it doesn't feel hard doesn't mean it isn't doing you good.

Pros take rest days too - no-one's immortal.

You only have one body. Respect it. Treat it well and take care of it.

BTW, you don't lose your fitness in one day, nor do you turn into a blimp in one day :)

The weather so far in Montreal this summer gives me one or two forced days of break a week and that's great. I rode Thurday-Friday-Saturday-Sunday and deliberately took off on Monday, then yesterday it was pouring (5 cm - 2 inches and some more - of rain in like 30 minutes!! it was amazing!!!) so didn't ride either. Tonight I was in incredible shape and after 45 km I just wanted to go eat a couple of hills... too bad it was already quite dark. Tomorrow will be a great riding day.

So yeah, a day or two off the bike is good for you and for your body and for your mind too. And for the cleanliness of your house.... ;)

Like CorsairMac said, shopping, going to see a movie, cleaning up is probably a good thing to do on the day off. Seeing friends that don't ride is probably a good thing to do, too.

runnergirl, you exercise a LOT!! Probably more than anyone I know (other than some of the girls here....)

and you make me feel totally like a slob

but I have to share this:

I was off for awhile trying to work out why I was getting sick. Turned out to be an allergy, but during that time off, I really got out of the swing of lots of exercise. Then we had some vacation time, and I'm not great on getting exercise in when we sleep in, watch movies and gently plug away at a house renovation....

anyway...

last weekend I was really down on myself for not working out at all! but when I thought about it, I had done 2 kickboxing classes and one good ride, in addition to the walking to work and walking the dogs, and only had 2 days off of realy exercise. Well on Monday when I went to kickboxing, it felt the best it has in ages! I felt strong, I didn't have that crazy terrible burning in my quads that makes the burpees in the warmup pretty near impossible. I left feeling like a million bucks!
Last night, I rode the bike on the trainer. it was short - just 20 minutes, then did a good round of yoga (somewhere between relaxation and power yoga...). I can still feel the muscle soreness in my legs today.

Tomorrow I ride, Friday I do kickboxing. I think I'm finally learning that my body needs more time to recover than I really want to give it....but I really like how I feel when I do!

So, my advice for rest days? Take up a hobby. :p I take pictures, other girls here do various art projects, sewing, knitting, gardening....etc. It's very fulfilling to do something you LOVE, that takes your mind into a different way of being. Exercise is amazing and fantastic, but you do need to use other parts of you, too, and they need "exercise" in their own way. Be patient and respectful of yourself...You'll see what we all mean!

Namaste,
~T~

Right now I have nothing but time on my hands, I start my assistentship August first, and classes the 24th, so that will force some reduction in my training. I have a lot of time on my hands this summer and really want to have a good base heading into this school year, as it's going to be my only shot at a college racing season (Mt. and road).

I feel guilty about a rest day if I feel I have not "done my best" that week, no matter what the numbers say. Weeks when I really have done my best (even with less milage), I take total rest days with no problem. Similarly, I cannot relax with the thesis hanging over my head. I guess I need to just let it go those weeks I feel I've somehow "slacked."

Thanks for all the encouragement!

I read some really good replies to this post. Your body gains from working out during its' rest period as someone said earlier. If you skip your rest day(s) you are defeating the whole purpose of exercising/training. You need to get a training book and get on one of the traning regiments they layout. Rest days are incorporated into the training program. You are basically just beating your body up. And if you keep it up, you'll get rewarded with a total body breakdown. If think you have problems resting one day, you keep it up and you'll be forced to rest a whole week!

P.S. I read that some pros who rested a whole week the following week were training great. Your body doesn't lose it's gains in one week. I've experienced this myself since I have a physical condition that sidelines me more often than I'd like. But my body doesn't lose anything, maybe even feel better, after a week. And longer than that it hasn't taken me long to work my way back up.

I am a perfectionist...I understand the compulsive behavior....but that behavior also puts a stress on your body that you don't realize. You don't have to slow down or worry about it....your body will put a stop to it when you cross that line...only your body knows where that line is...it'll tell you. This observation doesn't come from wisdom!...it's comes from AGE!!! LOL

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Originally Posted by Bustertb

P.S. I read that some pros who rested a whole week the following week were training great. Your body doesn't lose it's gains in one week. I've experienced this myself since I have a physical condition that sidelines me more often than I'd like. But my body doesn't lose anything, maybe even feel better, after a week. And longer than that it hasn't taken me long to work my way back up.

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yup, the cyclists in this house have found the same thing too

if you are planning for a race, you'll find that alot of trainers, books and other cyclists will suggest a lighter schedule in the days or week before the event

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Originally Posted by runnergirl

(btw, I am not an eating disorder type, I am 10-15 lbs above my ideal weight with a contrary metabolism)

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There is a website called FitDay.Com where you can track your activites, calories, etc. each day. You might want to start there. If your metabolism is contrary, you are probably not eating enough (as somebody else mentioned.)

You need at least one total rest day/week. I take an active rest day, i.e., light weight lifting, flat, easy cycling or a slow jog. I don't work out NEARLY like you, however, so I can get away with "active rest." I probably spend more time in the weight room than you, so my muscles let me know when they've had enough!