If you’re going to take a rest day, take it in style (but preferably in a body of water…)
All About Rest Days
I’m like most former athletes, I have a love/hate relationship with rest days. On one hand, I know rest days are just as important, if not more important than workout days. Not to mention, it is nice sometimes to lay on the couch and do nothing. However, I have FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) from workouts, activities, hikes, and games galore.
I love the feeling I get when I push myself both mentally and physically. It is also a method of de-stressing and disconnecting from work with my friends and just laughing about nothing in particular at the gym. I know those rest days are needed, earned and down-right underappreciated (even by me), but some days it’s hard to give in.
When I see a workout, I want to hit it. When my friends are going to a gym, I want to go. When I see something cool on social media, I want to try it. I know I am not alone. However, there comes a point where we are doing more harm than good.
When you work out, not only are you demanding so much from your muscles, tendons, joints, etc., but you are also demanding mental toughness, focus, concentration AND nutrients from your diet and body. Yes, nutrition had to come up, HELLO, I’m a dietitian after all. When you don’t spend the time to refuel and recharge, you run the risk of burning yourself out both inside and out.
Why Rest Days Are Good for You
My dog takes rest days & moments seriously. He’s also very EXTRA.
When you workout, you must rest to recover; that may sound obvious, but we don’t follow that rule most days. Let’s figure out WHY rest days are good for us, so when the FOMO creeps in we have some defense for ourselves.
- Rest & Repair. You ask SO much of your body when working out, don’t you think it deserves some R&R? Your body needs not only sleep but downtime in order to repair muscle damage done through workouts AND replenish nutrients (like magnesium, iron, and glycogen) that were used during exercise. Your hormones also need some R & R to process what happened to them and to go back to baseline.
- Inflammation. Some inflammation is a good thing. Actually, I once recorded a podcast all about it here. However, if you do not let your body relax, the inflammation festers, leaving you feeling bloated, tired and with your defenses down to colds, flus, and other viruses. Not to mention, if you are trying to lose weight by excessive exercise, you may find you hit a wall, hello inflammation.
- Balance. Even if you are training at an elite level, you need a life outside of your sport. By having this balance, it allows you to be better at your sport. Find time to read a book, go for an easy walk with a friend, pick up a craft, or just get a lil’ more shut-eye! It’s okay to take it easy (self, listen to yourself!!)
When Should You Rest Day?
When you rest and how you rest is up to you. Sometimes, people need a rest day every other day, some 1-2 days per week, others a few days per month. Some people benefit from taking rest weeks, no joke.
Working with athletes and checking their hormone levels is a surefire way to figure out if someone needs more (or less) rest days. Low testosterone & high cortisol? You can bet a rest day is in your future. Not hitting a PR for months on end? Time for some rest. Injury after injury? REST.
You {should} know your body best. If you don’t, ask a professional. ake the time when you need it, and enjoy it, you’ve earned it! And yes, brag about it!
So, moral of the story, take the time when you need it, and enjoy it, you’ve earned it! And yes, brag about it!
What is Rest Day Brags?
Getting after those Rest Days in style. @restdaybrags
I am so glad you asked! (Yes, I pretend like I am having a conversation with you, just go with it.)
Rest Day Brags was a movement & social media outlet started by three athletes who realized they needed accountability for rest days. They also realized that others were struggling with the same issues of needing more rest days but not doing so. They are making rest days great again.
The masterminds behind the Instagram handle @restdaybrags are Spartan Racer Amelia Boone(@arboone11), Olympic Swimmer Caroline Burckle (@caroburckle), and Marathon runner Jonathan Levitt (@jwlevitt). They post pictures of how they (and now many others in the community) are resting, eating donuts, and everything NOT involving working out.
Every time I take a rest day, it now makes it a little more fun to realize it is OKAY to rest.
Rest Day FOMO
Okay, so FOMO is real, especially in this day and age where we can see anything we want to, any time we want to. Not to mention, I think some of us are addicted to feeling sore, tired and beaten up from our workouts. We are constantly comparing ourselves to others, and so, we are bound to have FOMO at least once a week (erhhh day? hour?).
So, how do we deal with this FOMO without sabotaging our hard work? Make plans and find accountability buddies. This past weekend I made some plans with friends to go to a local Brewfest and we took the whole weekend off from working out and instead enjoyed time outside, tried new brews (ciders for me), hot tubbed and laughed our tailbones off.
Fanny packs are needed for Rest Days (and every day)
Stop letting FOMO keep you from recovering like a champ. Let me see your best #RestDayBrag here or on social media. Shout out to Amelia, Caroline & Jonathan for starting a campaign to make Rest Days great again! Follow them over on Instagram and let them know Sassy sent you 🙂
xoxo,
Sass
