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!
Yesterday for me was a really good example as to why I personally can not do absolutely nothing on a rest day. It was the first time I decided to basically not move from the couch. As a result, I got bored and completely overate and feel terrible today. Lesson learned. I know how to approach a rest day next time. I know for me, incorporating something productive such as going for a walk or even window shopping works best to keep me occupied.
I have wanted to try chia seeds for so long and haven’t made a trip to one of the stores that carries them. I have plenty of ideas of how to incorporate them into food!
I DESPISE rest days!! I am a naturally nervous person and have too much energy and get jittery, buuut I also have bad joints so I make myself take them. I pushed too hard last week and took yesterday off (just walked the dog) and today my knee is sore and bruised I can barely walk on it so a day on the couch it is for me :( I’m beyond bummed. I don’t do rest well.
I’m so excited about this giveaway! Chia seeds are dang expensive!
Would love to win the chai seeds! I make my own granola-ish bars (not as good as yours, obviously… but I try) and would like to add them as an ingredient. I once got a tiny little sample… yeah, those were gone in about 2 days.
As far as rest days go, if I feel like being a couch potato… I do it. If I feel like walking or cleaning… I do it. I try my best to just listen to my body. I have to admit, sometimes my body is screaming out for a total lazy day, but life will not permit. I try my best to listen, and I feel it really helps the next days workout.
On my “rest days” I usually walk 30 minutes and do some pilates or yoga.
I’d love to win the chai seeds – never tried them.
On my rest days I like to do some cleaning, i always feel that is a bit of a workout, getting my blood pumping, lol. But i do like to take a walk and do some light yoga, to really get the blood moving through my body and muscles.
We have a co-op here in davis, and the chia seeds are so expensive, so i bought hemp instead. Aren’t chia seeds the same thing they use is chia pets? Do you sprout your seeds?
On my rest days, I’m often doing housework, chores, shopping, etc — so even if I’m “resting”, I still feel exhausted at the end of the day!
Rest days are for rest!! I allow myself 2/week :)
Just stumbled upon your blog this past weekend and LOVE IT!!!
I might do yoga or I might just take the whole day off. Sometimes I plan rest days around my schedule when I know I’m not going to have time work out. If I’m resting before a big race then I take the day completely OFF.
I got my Runner’s World today too! Turn to the top of page 71! That’s ME! :D
WHOOPS I meant page 73. (Run For All – “Volunteer at a Race”) ;)
i try to rest once a week. in an effort to maintain my fitness momentum i make sure to take a brisk walk and do some stretching/loosening yoga poses on those days.
periodically, maybe once a year, i have an all out rest day. it’s my day to be a lazy slug and do nothing at all. it’s usually when i need more of a mental recharge than a physical one!
I still have to chase a 3.5 & 1.5yr old on my rest days :) Yoga is definitely my form of “rest”. Even though I typically do hot power yoga it still feels like rest and gives me my “me” time.
My rest days consist of church, cleaning, and pretty much sitting my butt on the couch and being lazy ;). I love them and I think we need them both physically and psychology. I think sometimes we forgot to relax our minds from working out and to me mind gets cleared on rest days. I just feel more motivated and pumped after rests but recognize to each their own. I love that you took this article with a grain a salt and I completely agree with you.
Yay for Chia seeds though! I love them and they are my new favorite seeds.
On my rest days I like to take a walk with my mommy at night!
I like to take a walk on my rest days because if I don’t move at all or get out of the house at least once everyday, I get very fidgety.
I only formally exercise 2 days/week but try to do something active every other day – coed sports, walking, hiking, swimming for fun… but I have no problem just sitting around with a movie if that’s what I feel like!
I learned the hard way about over-training and not resting, as I now have 2 stress fractures in my ankle. I think it’s totally OK to do nothing, but I can’t imagine a day without at least taking a walk. I also like to do Yoga on rest days.
Sorry, not sure why my comment posted as a reply.
I walk a mile to and from work each day, so I consider that the “active” part of active rest. Otherwise, on rest days I definitely take it easy.
I’ve been wanting to try chia seeds! Anyways, on my rest days I try to do errands so that I am at least walking a bit more than I usually do.
Awesome giveaway! Chia seeds have been so popular lately. I take serious rest days as what they are – seriously! I REST!! If it’s the day after a long run, then no activity for me. If it’s a day in the middle of the wek, I might try and get in a teeny bit of ab work or something, but nothing strenuous. Bodies need to recover!!
I have a hard time with rest days. I definitely take them but have a hard time not beating myself up for them. I try to do yoga or pilates and the pup usually gets a walk.
I am so interested in chia seeds, but I live in a small town where none can be found. I am definitely going to take a look into Chia Seeds Direct!