Warning: 7 Signs Your Body Needs a Rest Day

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Whether you practice yoga exclusively or in addition to other training routines, it can be easy to become so dedicated that you forget to rest. We tend to think that if some exercise is good, a ton of exercise must be even better. For those of us who love our yoga and other workouts, overtraining is a real risk that we face.

Here are 7 ways to know if you need to take a break from physical activity:

1. Trouble Sleeping

You would think that working harder than usual would make you more tired. On the contrary, insomnia is a common symptom of overtraining. As your body tries to adapt to working harder, a bit of your primal instinct kicks in and your body feels like it needs to be ready to work it’s hardest at any time of the day. This may result in insomnia or difficulties sleeping.

2. Irritability

Working harder, especially in strength training and metabolic conditioning, can cause an alteration in hormones. More natural testosterone released into the bloodstream can cause us to be aggressive and irritable. If this is the case, your family and friends will probably also appreciate your rest day.

3. Changes in Appetite

Whether you find yourself needing to eat everything in sight or if you avoid any tempting sweet treats, appetite is always something to keep an eye on. Changes in appetite are also caused by hormonal changes that can occur when you increase the intensity of your workouts.

4. Changes to Menstrual Cycle

Ladies, if you miss your monthly visitor, it might be a welcome reprieve, but anything that alters your body’s natural rhythms (stress or tough workouts) is probably something you need to take another look at.

5. High Resting Heart Rate

Does your heart race even when you’re laying down? When you’re trying to nap? Does your heart skip a lot of beats or continue to race long after your workouts? These might be signs that you need to let your most vital organ – your heart – rest for a bit. Think about taking a break from physical asanas and focusing on heart chakra care and meditation instead.

6. Consistent Decrease in Performance

It’s natural that our performance will vary from day to day, whether we’re talking about your clean and jerk in crossfit or your chaturanga on the mat. Every day is different and you won’t always be able to do today what you did yesterday. With this being said, consistent decline in performance and more common injuries can be signs that you need to give yourself a day to rest and let your body heal.

7. Dehydrated

If you wake up thirsty or find that your pee is always dark, you might be dehydrated. Remember that the amount of water you drink during hot yoga or an outdoor run does not count so to speak, as you’re sweating it all out. Also, it takes 45 minutes or more to become rehydrated post workout, so keep the fluids coming! Take a day. Rehydrate. And get back at it tomorrow!

Want to learn more about dehydration? You may want to read this article.

Maybe you consider yourself an advanced yoga practitioner, an avid gym rat, or you might be just a beginner! Learning to listen to yourself and give your soul, mind, and physical body some much needed love and rest is an important part of your fitness dedication.

Play it safe, honor your body, and take care of yourself, because you’re worth it!!

This article and all included information is not intended as medical advice and does not treat or diagnose. Please consult your doctor for any health-related questions or concerns.