Good morning!
It isn’t always easy returning to school or work after the last long weekend of summer. So to cheer you all up, I am having a fun chia seed giveaway this morning!
Read on to find out how to enter. :)
Rest Days: What Exactly Do You Do?
Over the years, my thoughts on rest and recovery days have been all over the map.
In my late teens and early twenties, I rarely considered the option of even giving myself a so called rest day. I did too much and I felt burned out. No surprises there.
After my injury this year, something sort of clicked inside me and I started to appreciate taking rest days. I realized that if I was going to give my best performance, I needed to let my body heal itself.
Over the past several months as I have been training for my summer races, I realized even more how important a rest day can be and how much it improves both my physical and mental energy. As my mileage has increased, I appreciate and look forward to my rest days more and more.
What do I do on my rest day?
I typically take the term ‘rest day’ to heart. I don’t exercise or really even move much during my rest days. I see it as a well deserved lazy day when I don’t feel a workout nagging in the back of my mind. However, I will admit, some of my rest days I am left feeling fidgety. Some days I want to exercise a bit, but I feel like I would be harming my body and not giving it proper rest. I am also questioning if I should be doing anything else on my rest days. More stretching, sleeping, icing, eating, etc. Truly, rest days couldn’t be as simple as resting, could they?
Given this dilemma, I was quite happy to see my Runner’s World arrive in the mail. One of the featured cover stories, ‘Rest Right: Make the most of your days off’ caught my attention. Like always, the fabulous people at Runner’s World read my mind.
Here is the kicker:
Exercise physiologist, Dr. Stephen McGregor says to make the most out of your recovery days doing absolutely nothing all day is not ideal.
I’m telling you guys, I almost threw this magazine in the garbage! I said to myself, ‘No one can take away my lazy rest days! Noooooooooo!’
Wait, I’m supposed to move on my rest days? AreyoujokingIhopeyouarejokingme.
Dr. McGregor says that having an active recovery (have you ever heard of a bigger oxymoron!?) can sooth aches and prepare you for stronger workouts better than an inactive recovery day.
Still not liking where this is going. But, I read on. ;)
The article went on to give some tips for increasing the benefit of recovery days.
1) Move It
Do very light activity like walking your dog or riding a bike for about 30 minutes. “Keep the intensity low…you shouldn’t be out of breath.”
2) Loosen Up
We don’t always have time to stretch properly after tough workouts, especially if they are long in duration. Use your rest days to focus on stretching out your tight spots. Research in the British Journal of Sports Medicine finds that yoga boosts running performance.
3) Eat Smart
Focus on eating the nutrients that you don’t get enough of during the week. If you normally spend 45 minutes on exercise, take some of this time to plan out proper nutrition.
3) Tune In Early
Our bodies and brains need sleep to heal from the mental and physical stress of training. Try to get 7-9 hours of undisturbed sleep.
My thoughts:
Ok, so some light activity might not hurt me, in fact it could actually improve my recovery. I think I am going to be more open to the idea of doing some light walking on my rest days if I want to.
However, coming from my obsessive past with exercise, I know that information like this can be used in a negative way by some. I think it is important to stress that even though some light activity may improve recovery, it is still 100% FINE and DANDY to just sit on the couch during our rest days. We earned the rest and we can spend it however we please.
So of course, take this article with a grain of salt. The take home message here is if you want to do some light exercise and find yourself fidgety when sitting still all day then by all means do some. But, don’t allow yourself to fall into the ‘I should be doing more and more’ trap. If you really want to veg out on your rest day, then veg the heck out!
How do you approach rest days? Are you an all out rester or do you prefer to get in some activity? Have you found that activity helps your recovery?
Leave one comment below by midnight EST for your chance to win a 3 pound bag of chia seeds, graciously donated by Chia Seeds Direct. Contest open to US and Canadian residents only please.
I hear that Chia Seeds Direct also has free shipping within the US.
Chia seeds…the wonder seed!
Goodluck and Happy Short Work Week!
See you later for a breakdown of what to do immediately after an intense workout from minutes 0-45. Have I been doing it all wrong? Stay tuned to find out!
When I’m training for long runs I usually do an all out rest day, but when I’m just working out for healthy lifestyle purposes, I usually do a light activity on my rest day…it sounds like I might have it backwards according to the article!
I like my rest days to be JUST rest days. Otherwise, I will find myself falling into the “Well, I walked 2 miles on my last rest day, lets do 3 this time….etc” trap. Pretty soon I’m running a marathon on my rest day (not REALLY, but you know what I mean!). However, I find that if I don’t HAVE to do any structured physical activity, that I end up moving around more, naturally, than I would if I had worked out that day. Cleaning, baking, shopping, etc. Maybe I just have a little more energy to spend on tasks that seem a bit more daunting when I have a workout day? Who knows!
I’ve bee DYING to try chia seeds. That would be awesome!!
I do a yoga session to stretch out all my muscles or if the weather is nice I go to the beach with friends and just enjoy the water…maybe a lil kayaking or just playing beach volleyball.
Hmmm I usually rest on rest days but this sways my mind a little bit! Maybe I will take a nice easy walk and do some stretching. Thanks for posting!
I usually do light yoga or walking. I’m a college student on a big campus, so getting to class fills the quota on rest days. I love the relaxation and stretching that yoga provides.
I just started reading your blog and ABSOLUTELY love your inspiration!!!
I’ve never had chia seeds but would love to test out some of your recipes with them!!!
I must admit, I never really take a lazy rest day. I always prefer to do some activity whether it be a long day of shopping or doing light weight.
I like active rest days! I’ll usually just walk, do some stretching, and probably foam rolling, too.
I only have one true rest day a week where i do nothing to physical, the rest of the days i mix up my workouts, it really helps me control my stress if I get up and do something
On my rest days I usually do yoga and go for walks at the park. I find it very relaxing!
I love chia seeds, I consume them on a daily basis!!!
I think most days are rest days for me, I need to find my exercise days.
I try to lead a naturally active lifestyle (i.e. I walk just about everywhere, only take stairs, etc.) so for me, “rest days” are just days I don’t intentionally workout, but I’m moving nonetheless!
Ooo Chia Seeds! I’ve never had them and would love to try some!
Hi! I just added OSG to my Reader a few weeks ago and have been enjoying your posts – I’ve been adding spinach to my smoothies (not quite GM’s) and love the added veg boost!
Would love to try Chia Seeds… thanks for sharing!
When I was an avid runner, rest days were “non-running” days. I love Chia seeds and when I went to buy my first stash, I walked in the health food store and asked for “Chai seeds”. I felt like such a dork when the nice man corrected me C-H-I-A, but it was funny.
I have not found a good balance between exercise and rest. I usually over-exercise and then am sore and burnt out and do nothing for a few days. Not the best routine.
I typically take a body sculpting class on my “rest” days. I am a runner, so for me, these classes are a rest from cardio. We lift weights, work our abs and stretch – but I am never out of breath or sweaty like with cardio/running. I think of it as a little treat to go in there and just lift/stretch.
I just finished my chia seeds last night – love those little guys!
I will usually go for a walk or bike ride on rest days, but that’s never written in stone. Sometimes I just veg out on the couch!
On my rest days, I don’t actively try to be active, haha. I’ll walk the dog a little longer or clean a little more, but this is only because I have more time, not because I want to get in more activity.
Yay for the chia seeds giveaway! :D
I am training for a half marathon. On the days I don’t run, I will lift weights, bike, or work out on the elliptical. I take Sunday’s off completely, though!! For me, it really works and I think my body thanks me for it!
I mostly do nothing! I enjoy the thought of being able to catch up school work. Every now and then I’ll go for a short walk but for the most part, I take the term rest day to heart.