A day off....lazy???....will I lose the benefits of months worth of hard work and 445am mornings?? Will I forget how to run?? Today is one of those days and I am sure I am not the only one who paces up and down, checking their smart watch to see how much you've 'under stepped' the day in comparison to other days! I wonder if the dog wants to walk her 50th walk of the day and whether cleaning and moving the gym around can be classed as weight training. Another thing I am doing.....I am letting it stress me out! I don't always act like this, other days I could quiet happily snooze in an extra 30 minutes and maybe even want more, those days I know that I was definitely overdue the time out.
On Saturday ......4 days time, I will be running 55 miles across the Cleveland Way....the route is as hilly as Yorkshire roads are pot holed!! Thats a lot by the way!....and when it comes to a Hardmoors event, the weather on the day will probably see snow, torrential rain, 40 degrees heat and a cyclone across the one day. 4 days of my normal training and classes would not benefit the run....I am listening this time around, so I am tapering! GULP!
I read many posts on social media about daily exercise and yes, we live in a more sedentary world, people are less likely to have manual labour jobs and we do need to move ....but not 20 HIIT classes, followed by a 10mile run and your fav Crossfit WOD.... sometimes movement can be a walk, a swim.....a Yin Yoga session, something to bring that mind and body down a volume! Listen to your body as you squeeze into the seam free, high waisted, butt shape revealing leggings and notice we have forgotten we haven’t got our VPL's on....(HECK!!!!)......your body could be screaming out for a day off, our muscles or tendons could be so close to injury ....niggles we have been ignoring and all because we fear that the day off will cause our bum cheeks to drop an inch, our bingo wings to assist in a first seen airborne flight, we may forget how to put one foot in front of the other in the next run OR the few less kcal we have burnt will constitute for extra pot holes in the pavement or flat bike tyres!!!!
So as well looking good in your leggings and maintaining a firm bike tyre .....why SHOULD we have a rest day, is it going to hurt ....will it take up longer than the 20 min HIIT class?? Research...and people who have had rest/ recovery days have shown that these little beauties can lead to great things
Increased performance.....YES.....you get A LOT BETTER with a little less!!
Improved immune system - fight off those lurgies! When we train we actually break down our immune systems. Fuelling and sufficient rest can help build those little defensive walls back up!
A better mood - improved mental health
Increased motivation - YES YES YES! After a period of hard training, having a steady day or day off can give you a little boost towards your goals
Better sleep! - who can say no to a lovely load of Zzzzzzz's!
Reduce the risk of OTS (Overtraining Syndrome - hitting the wall/ burnout)
Rest gives the CNS (Central Nervous System) time to recover and repair and grow.
It reduces the risk of injury.....by improving the immune system, giving your CNS time to repair and preventing OTS.....you can then reduce the risk of being injured - what is a few days off in comparison to 6 months with injury??
So to cut a long ramble short and as I sit here and stare at my nearly 8000 steps of my rest day and wonder whether to walk around the garden, I remind myself of the benefits that this will have on Saturday. I have even cut myself some class slack with a day off pre-race (ermm...thats big for me you know) and as I merrily skip ( we can dream) up the incline of the Tee's Link, 3 Sisters and Sutton Bank, I will thank myself for actually listening to my coach and my body! Who know's I may have a few burpees in me at the end! lol! So listen to your body.... be sensible, relax....reap the rewards of a rest day or 2....or like me enjoy a good week off next week to look forward to the next challenge ahead :) x
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