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Following a workout plan can help keep you motivated and on track with your fitness. However, it’s important to take rest days in between intense workouts so that your muscles can recover, repair, and build strength.


Not only are rest days crucial for recovery, but resting the right way can help support your fitness results. Factors such as gentle exercise, nutrition, and hydration levels can all affect how well you recover. Read on to learn how to plan your workout rest days for optimum recovery and fitness results.

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1. Have a Proper Workout Plan

First things first: you want to make sure you have a proper workout plan curated by a reputable fitness expert. There is a lot of free fitness content online, which makes it easy to find a workout plan, but not all of it is created by accredited fitness experts. This puts you at risk of receiving incorrect exercise information, which could lead to injury when working out.

Here are a few apps and websites you can use to find reputable fitness content:

  • Muscle & Strength has Find free workout plans (organized by muscle building, fat loss, full body, and more) created by fitness experts.
  • YouTube has trustworthy fitness channels, such as POPSUGAR Fitness, where personal trainers host the workouts. Check out your chosen channel’s playlist for potential workout plans.
  • MyFitnessPal offers a range of workout guides and training plans created by fitness experts and personal trainers.

Try to pick a workout plan that prioritizes rest days alongside activity days.

2. Schedule Rest Days on Your Calendar

Screenshot of Google Calendar scheduling workout plan

Initiating a workout plan can be hard if you lack motivation, so scheduling it can help you get started. More importantly—it’s a good idea to schedule your rest days to ensure that recovery is a priority.

You don’t need to do anything fancy to schedule your workouts and rest days in. You could try one of the following scheduling apps to get you started:

  • Google Calendar. A simple-to-use free app that’s available on all devices (and desktop), it’s easy to slot in your workout and rest days into Google Calendar.
  • Notion. Try this versatile productivity tool to create a workout plan with prioritized rest days. Read our beginner’s guide to using Notion to get started.
  • Spreadsheet.com. Use a classic spreadsheet to map out your workout plan and rest days for free.

Now you have your workout and rest days in your schedule, it’s time to plan your rest days for optimum recovery.

3. Pick a Few Gentle Activities You Enjoy

Screenshot of Alo Moves for active recovery rest days

Referred to as “active rest days,” undertaking gentle exercise on your days off can help reduce muscle fatigue and soreness, prevent injury, and lessen recovery time between your workouts.

These are a few active recovery ideas to make the most of your rest days:

  • Walking. A gentle stroll can help aid workout recovery by enhancing your blood flow and stretching your limbs. Try the MapMyWalk app to actively track and save walking routes.
  • Swimming. An International Journal of Sports Medicine study highlights how a swimming-based recovery session can enhance your performance and reduce inflammation. Try the Swim Coach app for simple assistance with your recovering swim sessions.
  • Yoga. Yoga hits all needs of active recovery, from increasing mobility to aiding blood flow. Alo Moves offers post-workout yoga poses alongside its robust library of yoga sessions to try.
  • Cycling. Another low-impact option, cycling indoors or outdoors can help you get blood flowing without overexerting yourself on an active rest day. Keep it chill by listening to a low-BPM playlist on your Spotify app while you pedal.

You don’t need to plan a complicated active rest day, but having a few ideas ready to try can help keep you motivated. Don’t forget to listen to your body and don’t push yourself on your rest days—it’s about recovering and repairing, not overdoing it.

4. Plan for Optimum Recovery Nutrition and Hydration

Another aspect you need to plan for on your rest days is optimum nutrition and hydration. According to NASM, prioritizing enough calories, macronutrients, and micronutrients is essential for your health, performance, and recovery. Adequate hydration is also crucial, as water regulates your body temperature, lubricates your joints (which are put to the test during exercise), and transports nutrients.

To ensure you’re getting optimum nutrition and water intake levels for your training schedule, try these apps:

  • Lifesum moves away from being a calorie-focused diet app in favor of being a “digital self-care app”. A popular alternative to MyFitnessPal, its robust food database makes it easy to log your recovery day meals and check your nutrition requirements.
  • Hydro Coach. There are plenty of water-tracking apps you can try and this free app is a great option. Set a daily water goal, track a variety of drinks, and allow the AI-driven reminders to tell you when to hydrate during your active recovery day.
  • BiteSnap. If you’re a busy bee or just want to keep tracking to a minimum on your rest day, then try Bitesnap. Take photos of your food and drinks and the app will log your meals and nutritional information automatically.

Again, don’t stress too much about eating “the right thing” on your recovery days. Aim for a variety of foods to gain optimum nutrition, and remember to hydrate throughout the day to aid recovery.

5. Do a Non-Fitness Activity on Your Rest Day

Enjoy non-fitness-focused activity on rest day - such as socialising

With all this workout and recovery day planning, it’s a good idea to take a mental break from it all. In the same way that relying on fitness trackers or smartwatches can be triggering for your mental health, hyper-focusing on your workout plan can cause unnecessary stress. Instead, plan non-fitness-related activities on your rest day. Life is all about balance after all!

To keep a healthy mindset on your days off, try one of these activities:

  • Socialize. Call a friend or ask to hang out on your recovery day. You could also try a new hobby or engage with a new social group using Meetup—a free platform to help you connect with others who share your interests.
  • Journal. A popular pastime that’s also great for your mental well-being, journaling is a relaxing hobby you can spend time doing on your rest days. Try a micro-journaling app such as Journalistic to log your emotions, wishes, fears, or gratitude.
  • Play video games. A study published on APA PsychNet suggests that video games can increase mood and decrease physical stress, making gaming the ideal recovery day activity. If you don’t own a console, navigate to your phone’s app store to find a variety of free mobile games to keep you entertained.

Try to find a hobby you enjoy (or that you want to try) and schedule it for your rest day. That way, you won’t feel like you’re “wasting” your days off, but making the most of your time when you’re not working out.

Prioritize Your Well-Being on Active Recovery Days

It’s a good idea to support your workouts by planning optimum recovery days, but don’t dwell on it too much. Aim for a little gentle low-impact movement, good nutrition (don’t starve yourself—your body needs food for recovery), and adequate hydration to help your body recover faster and provide better results for your workouts.

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