Rest Days Are Holy Too: Learning to Rest as Part of Your Fitness Journey
Hi MumLeader!
I used to feel guilty on rest days.
I remember the first time I skipped working out for a whole week because I was tired. Not “lazy” tired, but bone-deep, soul-weary tired. The kind of tired where even tying my shoelaces felt like too much effort. Still, I sat there feeling guilty, scrolling past reels of people lifting weights and running marathons, wondering if I was just making excuses.
I came across a verse I’d read a hundred times, but that hit differently this time:
“In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength…” – Isaiah 30:15
I realized then: I was mistaking rest for weakness. But God calls rest a place of strength.
When I first started taking my health seriously, I equated movement with progress. If I wasn’t sweating, sore, or stretching my limits, it didn’t feel like I was truly showing up. I believed that resting meant losing momentum, wasting time, or worse; slipping backward. But over time and with a gentle nudge from both Scripture and science; I began to see rest in a new light: not as weakness or laziness, but as something sacred.
Rest days are holy too.
Why Rest Feels Hard in a Fitness Culture
Let’s be honest, today’s fitness culture glorifies hustle. We're told to “push harder,” “go beast mode,” or “never miss a Monday.” While discipline and consistency are good, an always-on mindset can wear down our bodies and blur the line between stewardship and striving.
Rest isn't weakness. It’s wisdom.
It takes strength to slow down when the world tells you to hustle.
It takes faith to believe that growth happens in the quiet, hidden moments just as much as in the sweaty ones.
What God Says About Rest
Rest is not just a human need, it’s a divine principle. God never designed us to live in overdrive. In fact, the principle of rest ’Sabbath’ is baked into creation itself. God Himself rested after creation (Genesis 2:2-3). He instituted the Sabbath not just as a law, but as a gift. Jesus regularly withdrew to rest and pray, reminding us that rest isn’t optional. They didn’t do it because they were tired or unmotivated. They did it to set a pattern for us.
Rest is a form of trust. When you pause, you’re saying,
“My worth doesn’t come from what I can do, but from who I belong to.”
“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” – Matthew 11:28
In your fitness journey, let rest become an act of surrender.
A moment to say, “I honor the body God gave me. I’m not driven by pressure; I’m led by peace.”
What Science Says About Rest Days
Your body doesn’t grow stronger during the workout; it grows stronger during recovery. When you rest:
Your mind decompresses and becomes re-centered
Your motivation to rekindled
Your muscles repair and rebuild.
Your hormones rebalance.
Your energy level is on point..
Your inflammation reduces.
Your risk of injury decreases.
Without rest, your progress can actually stall, and worse, you could burn out; physically and mentally. Burnout may look like strength from the outside, but it’s weakness on the inside.
Don’t wait until your body forces you to stop; build regular rest into your rhythm.
What Rest Looks Like on Your Fitness Journey
Rest doesn’t always mean being inactive or lazy or simply doing nothing. It means being intentional to allow your body space to heal and your mind to breathe.
Here are a few examples of what a rest day might look like:
Sleeping in or taking a midday nap without guilt
Saying no without guilt
Letting your body slow down
Going for a light walk in nature without your phone
Doing gentle stretching while listening to worship music
Reading your Bible or journaling
Taking a prayer walk instead of a power walk
Spending quality time with loved ones
Doing something life-giving that's not about burning calories
Taking a break from fitness tracking apps or scales
How to Embrace Rest Without Guilt
Plan your rest days in advance. Make them part of your routine, not a reaction to burnout.
Speak truth over your thoughts. Remind yourself: “Rest is good. My body is not a machine. God designed me for rhythm, not nonstop performance.”
Stay off comparison mode. Someone else's 7-day workout schedule doesn’t have to be your template.
Celebrate your rest days. Read a relaxing book. Wear your comfiest clothes. Call it a Sabbath. Make it feel special.
Final Thoughts
If you’re chasing health without rest, you’re chasing a mirage. True strength isn’t proven in how much you can endure. Just as muscles rebuild in rest, so does your joy, your peace, and your strength.
So, go ahead. Take that rest day. And don’t apologize for it.
And sometimes, that pause is where the true progress begins.
Grab your free Holy Rest Day Journal !
Need help embracing rest without guilt?
Download this faith-filled journal to reflect, reset, and remember that rest is holy too. Let it guide you in turning your rest days into sacred pauses that refresh both body and soul.
Please share this post with all your dear friends and family, it will be a huge blessing to them!
