Rest days are as important to your fitness plans as your exercise, diet and sleep. Rest days are important because these are the days where all that working out helps you to build stronger muscles. Rest days are days when your muscles rest and you get the time to literally build up your strength and endurance.
So here are some tips to maximize your rest day and really enjoy it!
- Stretch It
- Get a Foot Massage
- Flex and Relax
- Long, Hot Soak
- Play
- Take Deep Breaths
- Dance
- Sleep
These tips are all about making the most of your rest day. Stretching is a good way to warm your muscles and relieve any soreness from the previous day’s workout. It helps you feel limber and flexible. These are great for a day designed to be enjoyable.
A foot massage is a wonderful way to pamper you and relieve tension. You spend a lot of time on your feet during workouts and this can be hard on them. A good massage provides you with wonderful relief as well as stimulating blood flow.
There’s a method to the madness of flex and relax. You spend a lot of time with tense muscles whether working out or just stressing. Find a comfortable spot and flex your muscles, clenching your fists and tightening up all over; then relax them. It’s amazing how well you will feel when you do this.
Take a long, hot soak in a bathtub. This is a great way to start your day of rest whether it’s the night before or the night after. A long, hot soak provides you with mental as well as physical relaxation. It’s also a great way to pamper the muscles that have been working so hard.
Take time out to play – whether it’s with your kids or with your dog. Go out and have some fun physical enjoyment. You won’t be working out and it’s not about fitness. It’s all about having fun. Laughter, after all, is a tremendous medicine that relieves pain, pressure and stress.
Breathe deeply because when we’re tense or angry, we take short, shallow breathes. By taking long, deep breaths we can relax our heart rate and our minds. Try some meditations or yoga to help you get a feel for it. If the deep breathing doesn’t work for you, try dancing . Music is a wonderful way to really get your groove on and not only do you get to have fun, you get to laugh.
Finally, don’t forget a key element to any fitness program whether it’s a workout day or a day of rest. Sleep. The human body needs sleep in order to repair itself, restore itself and to continue functioning. Sleep is something we tend to short ourselves, so don’t – if you do it on no other day – do it on your day of rest. Let yourself sleep and get a few solid seven to eight hours.