Giving the body a rest is very important and some may say they get enough when they sleep.
The amount of rest you have will boost your results significantly both on and off the field.
Scientific research places emphasis on rest more so now than ever with the increased demands placed on the body.
The increases in performance, reduction in performance drop offs and associated injuries related to teamsport and individual disciplines has changed significantly and the demand for REST and RECOVERY higher.
The below study examines the effects of 3-5 weeks of physical rest on selected physical, physiological and psychological parameters obtained from 12 Olympic but latterly underperforming competitors and their matched control subjects. (Koutedakis Y, Budgett R, Faulmann L Rest in underperforming elite competitors.
British Journal of Sports Medicine 1990;24:248-252.)
This will give you a clearer indication of how athletes perform without rest and what it can do.
Here are 10 reasons REST is so important;
1. Allows your hormones to rebalance.
2. Resets your CNS central nervous system; when weight training it takes a battering and breaks down.
3. Our body temperature regulates through hydration.
4. Our mood becomes more relaxed which in turn relieves stress levels ie; cortisol reduces.
5. Blood pressure drops and over time it will stay at a consistent level.
6. Your bodily functions work to repairs broken down muscle tissue and can work at its most efficient.
7. Our internal organs return to their normal working functionality ie; heart slows down and regulates itself.
8. Your immune system works functionally as we know when we exercise it stops working.
9. Having rest days will give you time to get creative and do other things that are less taxing on your body.
10. It will allow you to focus on other areas of your life ie; family, friends and other social events. This will help boost morale and you’ll see the long term benefits of this.
With these following tips, you will see the long term benefits of your results and have a clear indication of what you could change to improve your performance and lifestyle.
Tag a friend and see whether you have the same things in common.