Given that I want to be active and fit that's a good thing right?
Wrong!
I'm not an expert but if I know one thing its that I am in love with my new iPhone. If I know two things, its that everyone, including the pro athletes of the world, need rest.
Muscles need time to repair. Brains need time to heal. Joints need a break.
Bottom line: Rest is key
I find that I need to remind myself of that over and over again, emphasizing that over training can be just as detrimental as under training and that a day off is good for me in the same way that a intense weights session is.
Note to self: Rest is good.
Truthfully, there are other reasons why I sometimes shy away from rest days:
- Exercise is a great way to work through the stress of the day
- Exercise burn calories. In short, that means I can eat more. 'nuff said!
- Exercise is one of my biggest hobbies so I am kind of lost (aka bored) without it.
- Exercise is a habit/routine that I don't want to fall out of. One day here and there isn't enough to break a habit but one can lead to three can lead to....you catch my drift.
Regardless of the reasons, I need to really wrap my head around the whole concept of rest being good for my overall fitness not in opposition to it.
I can read a book or take a bath to de-stress and unwind, eat well no matter the day or the activity level because it all balances out in the long run, explore new hobbies or rekindle old ones (crotcheted scarf anyone??) and commit to a lifestyle that is not all or nothing in respects to exercise, food or otherwise.
Say it with me..Rest days are a good thing!
I doubt it will be hard to learn to truly appreciate the fine art of being lazy around here....
So tell me, how many rest days do you take a week? What's your favorite thing to do on a rest day?
Ahhhhh - yes. It's tough because the physical part is so good for my mental health. And Lindsay was just chatting about "active" recovery (she was walking in the pool). And for me, I lose my groove... I take 1 day, it becomes 2 days, blah blah blah. So yes, I SO know that we can't swim, crossfit, lift, wog 7 days a week. So I've been spending time on my mat or going for a walk on the "non-sweaty" days. 20 minutes. No sheen. No clock. No hard breathing. And god knows I could always use more mat time. It's been so good for my "habit" of trying to be active and shutting down my crazy brain :)
ReplyDeleteI actually have a really easy time to take a rest day. I always look forward to them and try to only take 2/week. I wish I would have your motivation and work out daily, that is awesome!!
ReplyDeleteu are soooo right! rest days are key!!!!
ReplyDeletei am usually on the 2 extremes: 1. i workout 6 days a week, try to cram in as much as possible -this usually leads to injury and exhaustion OR 2. i take liek 5 rest days in a row, which makes me lazy, stressed and frantic!
balance is good. rest is good. everything in the world is good in moderation.
another great post, sam!
see u at the 30k next week
Our coach tells us we HAVE to have 1 rest day a week...and that means rest. No yoga nothing.... You need it so I don't monkey around with it even if I am feeling good...I won't be a week later and will start to resent workouts.
ReplyDeleteYou are doing the Midsummer Run as well? I am in for the 15km.
I find that when I don't take enough rest days, I end up getting hurt because my brain stops listening to how tired my body is, which is bad. It's how I ended up spraining my ankle a couple weeks ago and now I'm on FORCED rest days because of it. Point well taken, thanks for the blog! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm terrible at rest days. I usually take one a week and even then I spend it doing something activity-like, like mowing the law or swimming, or agressively cleaning the house. haha. Agressively cleaning. You can really work up a sweat doing that!
ReplyDeleteI need to work on my rest days too. I always want to do something because it makes me feel better about myself than being lazy.
Rest days are definitely a good thing! I allow myself one complete day of rest each week - usually Friday - and I'll sometimes trade an intense workout for an easier one mid-week if I'm feeling extra sluggish. On my rest days I'll do thing like take the dog for a walk, etc but nothing close to a real workout. Rest means REST...and taking a rest day doesn't mean you're being lazy - it means you're giving your body a break.
ReplyDeleteI take 2 rest days a week. However, I usually have one day a week where I do a run at 5am and legs at 9am. This is so I can have 2 rest days. I never work out on Sundays.
ReplyDelete