Let’s talk about those much needed rest days between workouts, we can find ourselves overthinking the process.
“I didn’t work out today, so I can’t eat that or do that, or maybe I just need to workout every day!”
It can be easy to slip away into a downward spiral of extra thoughts and precautions on days in which you don’t workout. Trust the process. Rest days are equally beneficial, if not better for your body, than those days you hit your workouts hard!
Listen to your body
Listening to your body is the best thing you can do for yourself. Some of you may read that and not have a clue as to how that works. I wish there was a cut and dry way to share how to listen to your body. It comes down to patience, paying attention to your body more regularly and picking up on the subtle feedback your body does give you back. Once you compile more information, the understanding will start to make more sense.
Try eating less
Today you aren’t going to be burning as many calories compared to a day you are working out. Simply put, your body doesn’t need as many calories to intake to function. This isn’t a huge different but you can just be aware and dial it down a bit. Again, not a huge concern but something to be aware of since you aren’t burning off as many calories on a rest day than an active day.
Relax your nerves
When our bodies are constantly being challenged, our nervous system never really get a chance to take a break. If you notice yourself possibly being a bit more clumsy or running into things, this means you may need to rest your nervous system. One way to do this is to do your normal workout routine but with no weights. Still put your body through the motions but don’t stress it out. This can be done for a whole week at a time, without worrying about your strength decreasing. It can actually help improve for lifts for next time.
Just breathe
Your muscles and all inner workings of your body need oxygen to function. Oxygen is your body’s’ strength, without it you are nothing. Spend some time practicing your breathe. If you can master your breathe then you have mastered working out. Take a moment to pay attention to your breathe. Are you someone that takes long inhales or long exhales or have you found a good balance. If you are someone that takes longer exhales than inhales, this means your body is getting rid of more air than you are providing it, which can lead to depression. Are you someone that takes longer inhales than exhales? This can mean you giving your body too much, which can cause it to be anxious. Finding that balance in breathe gives the body just what it needs.
Don’t overthink it
The bottom line is, don’t over think it. Do what you feel is good for your body and be consistent. Consistency and balance are the key to life. If you end up being too one sided – aka working out too much or too less than you can end up frustrated with results or lack there of!
Featured photo by Prevention.com
