The Power of Rest: Sleep alone is not enough.

Ah the beach!  Silky sand, wonderful waves and quality time with the people you love. You need it!

If you’ve met me you, you know that I love to go! Go to work. Go to the store. Go to class. But, sometimes I forget to stop.

This last week, I realized just how important rest was to my mental and physical health.

By simply being at the beach and having a chance to think, I realized how many unhealthy mindsets had creeped into my thinking. 

While sipping my mai tai, my physical body started to feel better because I sat my butt in a chair. (I know…shocking! Ha.)

So, here is your sign! Rest. Relax. Recover. You won’t just love it. You need it.

How to make rest part of your exercise plan

1.Schedule specific rest days
Schedule a rest day in the same way you would schedule a workout. Don’t forget it and make it a priority.

2. Define your rest days
A rest day doesn’t have to mean a couch potato day. It could mean a gentle yoga class or a leisurely walk around the park. 

3. Sleep
Make sure you get between 7 and 8 hours sleep a night. Everyone has different needs, but most people cannot thrive on less than 7. You may hear people say they only need 4-5 hours, but their body is surviving not thriving.

4. Improve your sleep quality
If you are lacking in hours to sleep, try to make the sleep you do get, good quality sleep. Easy to say and much harder to do. Stick to the same bedtime and wake time, banish screens and watch out for too much caffeine close to bed.

5. Benefits of protein
Eating protein directly after a workout provides your body with the amino acids it needs to build and repair muscles.

6. Re-assess your schedule at regular intervals
Faster recovery occurs in well trained athletes. As you get fitter your body becomes more efficient at recovering and thus your training schedule (including rest days) should be re-assessed on a regular basis as your training continues.

7. Listen to your body.
If you feel like you need a rest day, you probably do. Joint pain is a common symptom of overwork.
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Sometimes rest can be just as challenging as a 5 minute plank. But, you can do it!

Interested in more techniques? Join Rest and Recover Yoga.