Is It Okay If I Don’t Work Out Every Day?

The simple answer? Yes. It is absolutely okay if you don’t work out every day. In fact, rest is an important part of taking care of your body, and more exercise isn’t necessarily better or always recommended.

If you’re someone who enjoys exercise, taking a day off can sometimes feel uncomfortable. And thanks to phrases like “no days off,” “never miss a Monday,” or “no pain, no gain,” taking a rest day might even make you feel guilty. Phrases like this, while they may seem motivating, are actually creating unhealthy and disordered relationships with exercise. They tend to give off the message that you’re being lazy, losing progress, or “undoing” the work you’ve put in just because you take a rest day. And that just isn’t true. If you’re recovering from an eating disorder or have a complicated relationship with exercise, those thoughts can feel especially loud. But your body does not need to earn rest.

Why Rest Is Important for Exercise Recovery

Exercise is a form of physical stress. It requires a significant amount of energy, creates stress, and causes small amounts of damage to your muscles — your body needs time to repair them and build them back stronger. While movement can have many benefits and can be an enjoyable part of life, your body also needs time to recover from the stress you’re putting it through. Rest, along with adequate nutrition, gives your body a chance to replenish the energy stores used up during your workout. In fact, nutrition on rest days should be equivalent to nutrition on training days. Rest days aren’t only for resting your muscles — they also help fuel your body for the next workout.

More isn’t always better. In fact, without proper refueling and rest, more exercise can actually have the opposite effect. If you’re exercising more than your body can support, you’re at higher risk of developing REDS.

What Is REDS (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport)?

REDS stands for relative energy deficiency in sport. Despite the name, this isn’t a diagnosis limited to professional or competitive athletes — anyone who is active can develop REDS. When your body isn’t getting enough energy to meet the demands of daily life plus exercise, you can develop a state of low energy availability. In other words, your body is spending more energy than it has available. Eating “enough” isn’t just about eating to fuel your workout, but to fuel your life and existence — energy is used even if you do nothing but sit in a chair and stare at a wall for 24 hours. You do not need to have an eating disorder to experience REDS.

Over time, REDS impacts just about every system in your body. It can drastically and negatively affect bone health, hormonal and reproductive function, menstrual cycles, immune and gastrointestinal function, metabolism, cardiovascular health, mood and mental health, and sleep — all on top of impacting your recovery and performance in sport. Low energy availability is the underlying issue, while REDS describes the negative health and performance consequences that can occur when low energy availability continues.

If low energy availability is present, continuing to exercise daily can actually dig you deeper into the hole. If you had $1,000 in your bank account, you wouldn’t go make a $5,000 purchase — you’d be spending money you don’t actually have. Your body can end up in a similar deficit when you’re consistently expending more energy than you’re taking in. This same concept applies to exercising with low energy availability and REDS. This is where your relationship with exercise becomes important. If you feel unable to take the rest your body needs, even when you’re exhausted or under-fueled, exercise may be becoming compulsive.

How Do I Know If I Need More Rest?

There isn’t a magic amount of exercise that means it’s time to rest. The amount of movement your body can comfortably handle depends on many factors, including your nutrition, sleep, stress, health, injury history, and recovery. Instead of focusing only on how many days you exercise, consider how you feel before, during, and after exercise.

Are you constantly exhausted? Are you frequently sore or injured? Has your performance changed? Are you having changes in your menstrual cycle? Are you feeling increasingly anxious around food or exercise? Do you feel guilty when you rest? Are you dreading the workout but making yourself go anyway? These can all be reasons to take a closer look at your relationship with food and exercise.

If you’re recovering from an eating disorder, experiencing compulsive exercise, or concerned about REDS, working with an eating disorder-informed dietitian, therapist, physician, or other healthcare professional can help you determine what level of movement and rest is appropriate for you.

If any of this feels familiar, you don’t have to figure it out alone. Schedule a consultation with Courage to Nourish to explore what a supportive, sustainable relationship with movement could look like for you.

What Is Compulsive Exercise? Signs to Watch For

There’s an important difference between enjoying exercise and feeling like you have to exercise. Compulsive exercise refers to exercise that feels forced, rigid, or difficult to control, even when continuing to exercise may be harmful or interfere with other parts of your life. Compulsive exercise can look different from person to person. Some signs may include, but aren’t limited to:

• • • Feeling intense guilt or anxiety when you miss a workout
    • Exercising to compensate for food
    • Exercising despite being sick, injured, exhausted, or in pain, or against professional advice
    • Avoiding social plans because they interfere with your exercise routine
    • Feeling like exercise is something you need to do rather than something you want to do

If you think your relationship with exercise may be compulsive, don’t panic — it is not your fault. You probably learned to associate exercise with being “healthy,” productive, or disciplined. While this isn’t a healthy association, it is unfortunately common. We live in a society loaded with diet culture that reinforces disordered exercise behaviors, and these behaviors can be hard to unlearn on your own. Reach out to us at Courage to Nourish for support in exploring and healing your relationship with exercise.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is compulsive exercise the same as an eating disorder? Not necessarily. Compulsive exercise can occur on its own or alongside an eating disorder. Either way, it’s worth exploring with an eating disorder-informed provider, since the underlying patterns and risks often overlap.

Can I have REDS without having an eating disorder? Yes. REDS is caused by low energy availability, which can happen for many reasons — training load, life stress, limited access to food, or simply not eating enough to match activity level — regardless of whether an eating disorder is present.

Final Thoughts on Rest, Recovery, and Compulsive Exercise

At the end of the day, movement is meant to be one part of your life (if you want it to be), not something that takes up your whole life. You don’t have to exercise every day to take care of your body, and you don’t have to push through exhaustion, injury, or guilt to be “healthy.” Learning to rest, fuel your body adequately, and listen to what your body needs can be just as important as movement itself. You do not need to earn rest. And your body is deserving of food whether exercise happens that day or not.

If your relationship with exercise feels complicated, or you’re not sure whether what you’re experiencing is compulsive exercise or REDS, book a consultation with Courage to Nourish — we’re here to help without judgment.