Why Rest Days Are a Non-Negotiable for Progress

Aug 15

There’s this low-key guilt a lot of people feel when they don’t work out.
Rest day? Feels lazy.
Sore and exhausted? Push through.
Too busy to lift? Maybe I’ll just sneak in some cardio anyway…

But here’s the truth:
Rest isn’t a break from progress. Rest is progress.
It’s not the thing you do when you’ve “earned it”—it’s the thing that allows all your effort to actually work.

Your body doesn’t grow during workouts—it grows during recovery

Every time you strength train, you’re creating tiny tears in your muscle fibers (don’t worry—that’s a good thing).
But those muscles don’t get stronger during the workout. They get stronger when you rest and rebuild.

If you’re constantly training without rest:

Your muscles don’t fully recover
Your nervous system stays stressed
Your sleep suffers
Your hunger signals get out of whack
Your progress stalls (or even reverses)

It’s like trying to refill your gas tank while still driving—your body never gets the chance to restore.

A real-life client moment: “I thought I needed to do more to see change”

One of my clients came in doing six workouts a week, feeling totally wiped. She thought she was doing everything “right”—but she was exhausted, bloated, and not seeing any results.

So we pulled back.

We added two dedicated rest days. Increased her food slightly. Prioritized sleep and low-impact movement (like walks and stretching).
And guess what happened?

→ Her lifts got stronger
→ Her energy went up
→ Her mood stabilized
→ And she finally saw progress again

Why? Because she gave her body the space it needed to adapt.

So… what actually counts as a “rest day”?

Rest doesn’t have to mean doing nothing (though sometimes that’s exactly what your body needs).
There are two main types of recovery:

🛋 Passive rest:

No formal movement
Low key, slow moving kind of day
Great for deep recovery, illness, or high-intensity training blocks

🚶‍♀️ Active recovery:

Low-intensity movement (walking, stretching, yoga)
Helps with circulation and soreness
Great for mental health and routine maintenance

A mix of both is ideal. You don’t have to earn passive rest—and you don’t need to “make up for” a day without a workout. Your body will thank you for it.

Signs you might need more rest (not more hustle)

If you’re experiencing:

Constant soreness that never really goes away
Trouble falling or staying asleep
Low energy or irritability
No appetite in the morning or extreme hunger later in the day
Plateaued strength or performance
Feeling “blah” about movement in general

…it might be time to build more recovery in—not less.

How to structure rest into your week without guilt

Here’s a simple and sustainable weekly rhythm:

💪 3–4 strength training sessions
🚶‍♀️ Daily walking or gentle movement
🧘 1–2 active recovery days
🛌 1 full rest day (do less—on purpose)

Remember: your body doesn’t get stronger from more grind—it gets stronger from more balance.

Action steps to make rest a habit (not a last resort)

Schedule your rest days like workouts.
Put them on the calendar. Make them non-negotiable.
Shift your mindset: rest is an investment, not a reward.
Recovery is part of the plan—not a sign you’ve “fallen off.”
Use recovery time to support your nervous system.
Breathwork, journaling, nature time, and screen breaks are all part of whole-body recovery.
Trust the process.
You don’t have to be constantly “doing” to be making progress. Some of your best gains happen when you chill.