progress

what are: rest days

a lot of people have trouble getting started... but there is also a real issue with not taking breaks. personally, i had that issue. i would workout HARD 7 days a week... did that get me gains? did i hit my goals faster? NOPE. i over-trained, hurt myself, and kept going, and kept hurting. REST DAYS ARE SO IMPORTANT. and i say this as someone who loves training and someone who sometimes still likes to train 7 days a week. (it's hard to stop, to be honest). but i've learned that fitness should not be "all or nothing" it should be a balance. 

 

so here's what i know:

when you train nonstop, you never give your body time to recover. even if you are training different parts of your body, you still need to give your body a break. no rest leads to fatigue... which leads to lower quality training... which can lead to plateaus. (which is SO frustrating, as i'm sure you know). 

when you are doing resistance training you are breaking down your body tissues, you create tiny tears in your muscles. rest days allow the tissues time to heal and repair. if you don't rest, you are significantly more likely to injure yourself, overuse injuries from using your muscles too much and from working out while fatigued. you're more likely to get muscle strains, joint pains, and/or fractures. 

and when you over-train you are messing with your whole body. you'll sleep worse, which leads to a lowered immune system, and that means you are so much more likely to be sick (and that'll really mess with your training schedule). 

and if you are nonstop training you are more than likely going to burnout. if you take consistent rest days you are likely going to stay more on schedule because your body is going to be ready to do the work. 

so what should a rest day look like? 

that's gonna be different for everyone but here are the most important parts: 

- keep on track nutritionally, just because you're taking a day off training, that does not mean you should go off the rails on food. hit your macros, track your calories, or whatever you do on normal workout days. 

- STAY HYDRATED. this is true everyday, but make sure on your rest day that you are on still on your water intake even though you didn't hit the gym.

- don't be entirely stagnant. i mean, this is a rest day... but you don't need to be horizontal the entire day. stretch or foam roll for recovery. take a walk. go for a leisurely swim. you can keep moving without it being a workout day. active recovery is my personal favorite type of rest day. i'm able to keep moving which helps me stay on track. BUT make sure whatever you're doing isn't going to make you sore. 

- get your sleep! sleep is a key part of general health and for recovery from the gym. a fatigued you is not as effective as a well-rested you. that's a fact. so make sure you're taking care of yourself and getting the sleep you need every night (and especially on the rest day). 

 

and that's it. rest is simple. your rest day will likely look different from someone else's and it may look different from week to week depending on your work and training schedule. and that's okay, just as long as you're listening to your body and letting yourself properly recover. 

 

need help getting on a good training schedule? click HERE to check out doing one of my programs. 

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beginnings & balance

being healthy can be hard. 

when i started out on this journey back in april 2015, i thought that i was making healthy choices. 

i was running and counting calories and losing weight.. and i thought that that was it. didn't matter what those calories were made up of, didn't matter how fast i was losing weight, and it didn't matter that was running myself to death. 

i started my health journey on my fitness pal. i tracked... and lowered calories... and tracked... and lowered calories... and on and on until i was eating 1200 calories according to mfp... but in reality, i was probably eating less than 1000 calories most days. definitely not enough food for anyone, especially not someone who was running 4-8 miles a day. 

Sept 2015/ about to go running even though i was over training to the point i injured my knee

Sept 2015/ about to go running even though i was over training to the point i injured my knee

 

 i was working out 7 days a week and if i missed a day i would feel terrible and try to eat even less. my "rest" days usually consisted of strenuous hikes up steep hills for miles... but since i wasn't running i didn't count it as "real" day. 

i was working out to "earn" calories. for way too long in my fitness journey i felt like i had to constantly restrict myself. i felt like i had to burn calories, otherwise i shouldn't really be eating. 

after time and a nice reality check from my partner, i started to recognize the issue and started focusing on balance. taking rest days and eating more and eating better. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

now i workout 5-7 days a week. not because i feel like i have to but because i genuinely enjoy working out. some days are hardcore hiit or heavy lifting and some days are just long walks or slow jogs and some days i don't do ANYTHING. and all of that is totally awesome. 

june 2 2016 - june 3 2017 / more food and less cardio, bigger muscles and a way bigger smile

june 2 2016 - june 3 2017 / more food and less cardio, bigger muscles and a way bigger smile

breakfast on sunday, june 4. bagel breakfast sandwiches with ham, cheese, and eggs. lots of fruit and champagne. all on a rest day! 

breakfast on sunday, june 4. bagel breakfast sandwiches with ham, cheese, and eggs. lots of fruit and champagne. all on a rest day! 

and now i EAT. i worked my way up to eating about 2000 calories a day again. instead of counting calories, i focus on macro-nutrients (macros). this helps me find balance and focus more on eating foods that make me feel good instead of crap that's low calorie. but also now i get to enjoy all the food and drinks that i really like to eat. 

some days, all the great progress i've made goes out the window. i am far from perfect. bad days happen. some days you wake up and feel terrible and start thinking about cutting calories or carbs or adding all the cardio, but now I have the experience and the ability to step back and realize that bodies fluctuate and if i give it a couple days i will more than likely feel good again. '

it's all a process. 

but i am so glad that i have figured out what balance looks like and feels like for me.

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