The Rest Day

I am a very goal-oriented person.  I like to create goals, both big and small, for all areas of my life.  This can be both a strength and a weakness.  On the one hand, having goals keeps you moving forward and can give you a sense of purpose.  On the other hand, focusing too narrowly on your goals leads to a sort of tunnel-vision that can cause you to be successful in one area of your life at the cost of another.  Such is true regarding fitness.  I have found that exercise and fitness is one of the easiest parts of my life to create and achieve goals, but it is also the one area in my life in which I will readily sacrifice for.  This leads to burn-out, illness, and injury. 

Having experienced this issue time and time again along my journey to becoming fit, I decided to step back and reevaluate my training habits.  What I found was that in my attempts to achieve my fitness goals, I was focused mainly on quantity goals instead of quality, like number of miles I could run, how much weight I could lift, how long I could plank, and I was trying to accomplish these goals as quickly as possible.  At the height of my fitness frenzy I was doing two to three workouts a day, seven days a week.  I looked at "rest days" in my training plans as an opportunity to fit in a different workout. 

Now I look back at how I used to approach working out and realize just how ridiculous I was being.  Our bodies need time to heal and recover after intense workouts.  Just as our brains need sleep in order to process all that we have learned in a day, our bodies need rest in order to process all the work we have put our muscles through.  We must respect and honor the "Rest Day".  It is just as important as all of the workouts we complete.  With that in mind, today I observed the sacred "Rest Day".  I spent time with my family and allowed myself to enjoy the day without feeling guilty about not getting a workout in. 

"Rest Days" are not lazy. They will not slow you down.  Take the time. It will help you stay fresh and focused, allowing you to achieve your fitness goals without sacrificing your health and happiness.