Running causes your feet to strike hard against the ground beneath them, which can often be damaging to your muscles. This makes it so important to not only stretch your feet, legs, and ankles, but also give them proper rest. One or two days off from running every week is not enough and your body should receive at least one or two days in between each run. This time allows your days of training and exercise to be broken up so the muscles of your feet, ankles, and legs can catch up. Giving your body days of rest can actually make your muscles stronger rather than exhausting them from overtraining.
Just like your brain and the rest of your body requires sleep every night for energy and to stay healthy, your feet require their own form of rest - especially when you are a runner. This doesn’t mean you need to remain completely inactive for an entire day, but just spend a day without your usual run. Dr. Tejas Pandya does not suggest you taking days off as a couch potato, watching TV or sleeping the day away. But he encourages you to stretch, perform yoga, or any form of lighter exercise. Days of rest can also maintain your motivation to the sport of running because it is no longer a daily chore and you receive mental breaks from the sport.
Running on a daily basis without giving your feet proper days of rest can be severely damaging to your muscles and may result in a wide range of injuries. Allowing your body resting days has shown to decrease painful overuse injuries. If a running injury does occur, contact our office at (518) 273-0053 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Tejas Pandya.
References:
http://running.about.com/od/injuryprevention/f/restdays.htm
Great advice. It's recommended to have a regular exercise routine, but you should also be watching out for your foot health by resting as needed.
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