Fitness Friday #29: Take a Break

All work and no play makes Jill a dull…gal.

It’s an important part of the training cycle, yet a piece that can go ignored: the rest day.

I’m guilty of going balls-to-the-wall all week between running, weight training, and leading 9+ fitness classes. I used to teach every day. Lately, I’ve been teaching occasionally on Saturdays and never on Sundays.

When I run, I only run every other day. When I lift, I only lift every other day. But I got to a point where I let myself train or teach every single day. I let myself get to a point where there was no break on the horizon.

What does that do? It can lead to several things: exhaustion, not giving the body proper time to recover and rebuild, dehydration, stress, injuries, and burnout.

Now, I LOVE to workout. I love the feeling of a strong lift, the energy from a fitness class environment, the endorphins from a powerful run. But too much of a good thing isn’t always the best.

So, this particular Friday, I gave myself a day off, which meant canceling a previously-planned fitness class. I gave myself a rest day, no training, no teaching.

What is a rest day?
It’s a break from the normal routine. It probably doesn’t mean you’re giving yourself a guilt-free day to sit on the couch and eat chips, but it probably does mean you give yourself a night outside the gym. Rest days can still include activity, but it’s more likely to be activity that involves play, not working toward a goal.

So, for me, that means no running, lifting, dancing, interval training, or yoga. What?!

Rest days aren’t meant to last forever, unless your doctor has told you to please stay away from physical activity in order to rebuild your health.

In fact, one of the things I love most about a group fitness dynamic is the accountability — I’ll overhear students say to one another “so, we haven’t seen you in a few weeks, where have you been?” It’s almost like guilting each other into coming to class, but really, it’s just because the class dynamic is so much more fun when everyone comes to play.

Rest days usually energize and inspire me. Already today, I’ve had thoughts about a new element I’d like to try in Insanity classes, and a few song ideas to try in Zumba!

And of course, I’m teaching a class tomorrow morning, so the rest day is short-lived, which doesn’t bother me one bit.

I cherish the opportunities I have to teach and train others. I’m also appreciative of having a strong body that I can train and challenge. Fitness is in my DNA.

Do you take rest days? Are you guilty of avoiding them because of, well, guilt?