Rest Days, Overtraining, and Listening to Your Body

A teammate of mine shared this article with the rest of our team today and it really got me thinking about the importance of rest and recovery.

I don't know what it is about taking time off but it scares the sh!t out of me. While I understand the importance of rest in order to repair your muscles and make you stronger and fitter, there is something about taking a whole day off of physical activity that worries me just a little bit. My body instantly snaps back to the disordered thoughts that I don't deserve as much food on rest days, that I'm being lazy, that my stomach looks bigger and my thighs are rubbing against each other more, and that I'm not as devoted to fitness as I should be. I don't know where these thoughts come from but I do know that I can't stand it when I justify them. God forbid if I get hungry on a rest day and eat some extra carbs, I start to freak out and parts of me feel like I'm going to wake up 5 lbs heavier.

Since I started my interest in health and fitness, in February of 2013, I have not taken more than three consecutive days off of training. Even when I had surgeries or back sprains, I always found a way to go on a run or swim or do jumping jacks in my room for fear of losing all my fitness and not burning enough calories for the day. And even this summer, I have not taken a full few days of rest aside from when I hurt my back. Even today, I took a rest day but I worked an eight and a half hour shift at the restaurant.

This article is making me realize how silly it is to beat yourself up over something so silly. Us people who care so much about our health are truly interesting; the rest of the world doesn't care at all when they don't work out for the day. It's mindblowing to me that there are people out there who aren't as preoccupied with training as I am. A lot of the times, I feel superior to them but in instances like these, I can't help but feel jealous. Laying in bed and watching a movie to them is just a relaxing day but it makes me feel like a couch potato.

Well, I'm going to break this cycle. If you think you are overtraining, you probably are, and I am challenging all of you as well as myself to take a week this summer and devote it to complete rest. Do some light cross training maybe or go on a relaxing walk. You won't lose all your gains and you'll come back to the gym even fitter and stronger than before. I'm scared, but I know it is well worth it.

 Listen to your body and know that challenging yourself isn't easy but...."extremes are easy, balance is hard".