I don’t know about you but I am constantly hearing and preaching about how important rest days are. What does that actually mean though? Is it rotting away on the couch and really giving your muscles a “break”, is it doing that one workout you are interested in but doesn’t quite fit into your workout program?
Smart Strategies to Make the Most of Your Rest Days
Here are a few strategies that can give clarity and optimise those rest days:
Move, Don’t Stall
Keep your body moving: After a workout (or maybe multiple), your muscles are likely sore, don’t function at the highest level or they might feel really tight. Going on regular walks, doing a mobility or yoga flow, swimming, something light will encourage adequate blood flow to those muscles to promote recovery, less soreness, and pain and will help rejuvenate the muscles to their highest level!
Fuel Your Recovery Right
Fuel Fuel Fuel: Rest day does not = Cheat day. A rest day is there to help get you back to a recovered state. You just spent all this time pushing and pushing and now the perfect time to supplement that hard work has come. Eat plenty of protein, fat, veggies and fruits and drink lots of water. Supplying your muscles with what it needs to build back muscle and strength will be key to recovering well. (Plus protein and fat will help keep you full so you can better stick to your nutrition goals)
Make Rest Days Enjoyable
Find something fun to do! In addition to continue moving your body, finding an activity/hobby to do can be a fun and relaxing way to keep moving. Maybe you want to try a workout class or go hiking more. Maybe you want to learn a new sport but are just starting out. These can be great lower level things to incorporate in your rest day.
Plan Ahead to Stay on Track
Set yourself up for success: Rest days can be a huge factor in the progress you want to see. When the rest day comes, it can be easy to just rot on the couch. Instead, at the beginning of the week, try planning out one or two activities/meals to do on your rest day. Scheduling/making it in the beginning can really set yourself up for success the rest of the week.
Conclusion
Rest days aren’t rot days. They can be a powerful tool in your workout routine. Try some of these strategies out and start optimising your days!
Peak Training
