Rest Creates Growth

"And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done." Genesis 2:2

Rest is important. In fact, the Bible instructs us to take a day off every week to rest. Did you know that professional trainers recommend resting from workouts also? I love when the world lines up with the Word! My PT (personal trainer) recommends a week off every 4 months. I did some internet searching and others recommend as much as a week of every 2 - 3 months. Whether you take your break after 2, 3, or 4 months -  most people agree you rest for 7 days; no weight or strength training of any kind. 7 days of rest! At first I was bummed. I'm a go, go, go person; sitting still is hard for me and after 4 months of training and seeing change, the last thing I wanted to do was quit for a week. But this is what I learned. . .

7 days of rest allows your joints and muscles to heal and relax from the regular demands of workouts. This helps reduce inflammation and puts your body into a refreshed state. Everybody reaches a place in training where the progress begins to slow down. Taking a week off can actually help stimulate progress. 7 days is not long enough to lose muscle mass, but it is long enough to make your muscles think this is a new way of doing things. Then, the next time you workout, the muscles get basically a shock and jump to attention. Thus, increased progress once again. Your muscles will respond faster after a break; giving you a greater output than someone who does not take a break. Less is More!! I am NOT a certified trainer or a medical professional, so this is simply my attempt at explaining things the way I understand them.

Why wouldn't this make sense? We are refreshed to go back to work after a week off, we are refreshed to start our week after a day off. Our bodies need rest. Our minds, emotions, muscles - all of us - NEED REST. It is strange not working out. I've decided to cut way back on cardio for the week too - I want my joints and muscles to really have this opportunity to heal completely. I'm enjoying my break, but I'm excited about jumping back in at the end of the week.