How Should We Go About Our Rest Days After an Intense Workout?

For most of us, we like to have a consistent routine when it comes to our exercise and dieting habits.

We prefer to consume the ideal number of calories and nutrients to ensure we have great muscle maintenance, avoid any factors that might trigger weight gain, and energize our workouts so that we get the best from each one.

After all this, we further include a rest day to our schedule!

The Importance of Rest Days

Which begs the question; how vital are rest days and how should our diets vary when we are in one? Would it be wise to dial it back on the number of calories we consume when we’re not going to the gym that day? Last but not least, is it wise to target specific foods while our bodies are in recovery mode?

According to RD, Natalie Rizzo, our bodies are all different, and there’s no given standard of nutrient or calorie consumption that we have to adhere to during our rest day.

That being said, she does recommend some guidelines that health-conscious individuals can follow. We’ll be discussing some of the most important ones to help one regulate their rest days.

Jacob Lund/Shutterstock
Rest days are an integral part of our workout routine as they help our muscles recover

The Nutrients Our Bodies Require When We’re Working Out

As per data by the International Society of Sports and Nutrition, individuals that undertake an intense cardio activity such as HIIT, running, and yes even spin class, require a diet that has a carbohydrate-to-protein ratio of 3:1.

Indeed, this is ideal during recovery as it assists in the increased stimulation of glycogen re-synthesis, which preps us for our next workout.

According to Rizzo, this is similar to having an extremely active day, whereby our body will derive roughly 50 or 60% of its calories from carbohydrates, and about 20% of the calories from proteins.

That being said, if one is an avid fan of low-intensity workouts, then their ratio might be totally different.

Indeed, those who focus on low-intensity workouts coupled with strength training will have to consider a carbohydrate-to-protein ratio of 2:1.

Which shows that despite the high dependency we have on carbohydrates during our workout days, it is still vital to include them in the nutrition plan of our rest days.

MS Kelly Jones informs us that as a rule of thumb, we should be guided by the ‘sentiments’ of our stomach, instead of depending fully on a counting fitness tracker.

That’s because in general, the total amount of calories that one burns during their exercise routine tends to vary from one day to another, and could sometimes not be in synch with what the fitness counter says.

So it’s sometimes better to let our hunger puns do all the decision making for us, while we focus on mindful eating as the guide to dictate our total energy consumption.

wong yu liang/Shutterstock
Eating well during our rest day is vital in handling issues such as inflammation from a workout

Focusing on the Nutrients That You Require on Your Rest Day

Additionally, Jones adds that during our rest days, the carb-to-protein ratio should stay the same, as well as the frequency and timing of our meals.

That’s because our bodies still require plenty of protein, fats, and carbs for functions such as muscle repair.

Hence, it would not be wise to cut our nutrient or calorie consumption for the day simply because we are not being active.

Jones further adds that our bodies take between 24 to 48 hours for our bodies to recover after an intense workout.

Which makes it vital for us to consume sufficient carbohydrates during our rest day to replenish our energy sources, fats to minimize inflammation, and proteins to rebuild our body tissues.

Indeed, it is recommended that we consume about 20 to 30 grams of proteins frequently during the rest day, instead of the proverbial routine where most people eat very little during breakfast, only to binge a whopping 100 grams during dinner!

This will maintain a state of recovery within our bodies.

Felix Furo/Shutterstock
Health specialists advise that we should not change our carb-to-protein ratio during our rest day as it will interfere with our energy and recovery levels

Avoid the Urge to Binge

Rest days are certainly the most tempting days to binge because of how our bodies respond to workouts.

One research study indicates that when individuals participated in high-intensity workouts for consecutive days, their bodies responded by suppressing their hunger levels, which meant they consumed fewer calories as compared to what they were losing.

However, on a rest day, the cravings skyrocket because the body would like to replenish some of the excess calories that were lost the previous day. One of the reasons to this might be the fact that the appetite hormones have gradually begun to normalize.

That being said, Rizzo advises that we should make it a mental fortitude to avoid mindless eating whilst on our rest days, and hydrate frequently our rest day to reap the benefits the following day.