Exercise rest days

A helpful piece about factoring in rest days after exercise begins:
"Most athletes know that getting enough rest after exercise is essential to high-level performance, but many still over train and feel guilty when they take a day off. The body repairs and strengthens itself in the time between workouts, and continuous training can actually weaken the strongest athletes.
"Rest days are critical to sports performance for a variety of reasons. Some are physiological and some are psychological. Rest is physically necessary so that the muscles can repair, rebuild and strengthen. For recreational athletes, building in rest days can help maintain a better balance between home, work and fitness goals. ..."
Read it all here.
Though I exercise a lot, I'd still be considered a recreational athlete. Gotta work to pay the bills, you know. But regardless of one's "level," rest is important. Yesterday, after the bike ride through the oven on Sunday, I took a rest day. I can tell it did a world of good.