Take the Occasional Exercise Break

Did you know that if you are a regular exerciser, taking the occasional week-long break is good for you?

I lift weights very hard, and schedule a week off of training every 10 weeks. Back in the days when I wasn't maxing out on my weights and just working out 4 days a week I took my break about once every four months. As my intensity has increased I have lessened the time in-between breaks.

Some people I know who lift weights or train extremely hard will take a week off every 8 weeks. It all depends on your intensity of training.

Taking a break accomplishes several things: First and foremost, it allows the nervous system to repair from the same routine all the time. Secondly, it can let little injuries you don't even know are in your body repair themselves. And thirdly, it can rejuvenate your enthusiasm for your workouts again. I always come back from my breaks rarin' to go!

You don't have to take a total break. You can try something gentle you don't normally do like yoga or walking. Or you can do what I do, turn into a complete sloth, and totally give up exercise altogether.

Sometimes my break is built into my life, like a vacation. Most times I have to put it on the calendar. Almost every time my body starts "asking" for a break about the time I am due one: My enthusiasm for exercise starts to wane, I start having little joint aches and getting little sore in places I hadn't been sore before, my performance and enthusiasm start to suffer, I begin to dread cardio... I just generally feel like I need a break. I have to be careful not to confuse these feelings with just general laziness, though. This is why scheduling a break helps me..... I know I can take it without guilt, knowing it is actually good for my body.

I look forward to my breaks, but I also look forward to returning to my routine after a break. It's good for my frame of mind. How long has it been since you took a week off?