Fit Tip: Time Your Off-Days
Kimberly Rae Miller

There’s something about scheduling that we New Yorker’s thrive on…

There’s a time and a place for everything, for working, for playing, for dropping off laundry and for getting groceries delivered.  I know so many people that have strict exercise routines to match their strict work routines.  Monday – Friday they’re warriors; working hard and working-out hard, but come Saturday and Sunday… they’re livin’ la vida couch potato.

Days off from your workout are necessary…

Your body needs the down-time for your muscles to recover.  But, the ol’ five days on, two days off routine can actually do more harm than good.  Your body can become reliant on cardio in it’s metabolic needs, and it’s for that reason it’s a good idea to space out your off-days. Keeping your body guessing is the best way to most efficiently burn calories and train your muscles.

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To start out I suggest a two-day-on, one-day-off pattern, which means you’ll be hitting the gym at least one day on the weekends, but perhaps that’s not so bad considering that most of our indulging seems to happen in those brief, yet entertaining 48-hours.  Once you’re comfortably back in spandex, you can increase that to three-days-on, one-day-off, or three-one-four rotations.

Just remember, that resting is just as important as working out.  This is the time of year that people get scared about the impending short-shorts and bikinis, but if you don’t take any time off you’re likely to burn out or strain yourself.

So, enjoy your down time, just not all at once.