Running yourself until you’re on empty is not actually helping you. I know what you’re thinking, if I just workout every day I’ll lose weight faster and my progress will be better. What you aren’t seeing is all the benefits of rest and how they actually help your progress and not hurt it. So before you even continue on I want you to stop and think about the last week. How much time did you spend actually resting, like seriously resting?
Ok you wrote it all down? Well, what do you think? Did you spend time resting or were you constantly either working out or on the go?
That matters because rest is so important. When I first started this journey my main concern was making progress. I thought if I just worked out more I could reach my goal faster but what really happened was I burned out faster. I was good for a few weeks but after that my motivation and drive plummeted. I was tired and grumpy and I resented having to push myself to workout again. So what started out as a good intention ended up making me be less consistent. I finally just gave up because it was just too much.
My body needed rest and yours does too!
To make sure I am actually getting in rest days, I schedule them into my calendar. I know I’m a big planner, but that is what works best for me. Being intentional about my choices helps me to make them calmly instead of just making it up as I go and getting overwhelmed. At the beginning of the week I think about our family schedule and see what days make the most sense to take a rest day. For me it is usually a Monday and then sometimes depending how my body feels I’ll take off Friday also!
Gasp!! Two rest days! Haha yep! Some weeks I take two rest days. They are not the enemy my friends!
If this seems overwhelming for you right now I completely understand, I’ve been there remember! Here are some things you can do on your rest days instead of all out workouts.
- Go for a walk with your family
- Do yoga
- Get a massage
- Spend time stretching
- Do a guided meditation
- Take a nice bath
As you are planning your week I want you to be intentional about rest. Remember to give your body time to recover!
Rest days are not the enemy!
Tell me about your rest days below!
