Reframing Rest
“He that can take rest is greater than he that can take cities.”
—Benjamin Franklin
Okay, Vibe Tribe. We’re doing it. We’re going to talk about everyone’s least favorite, most avoided and most misunderstood four letter word.
No, not that one.
REST.
We are living in hustle culture, the days of grinding, where the world moves at hyper-speed and we are all trying to keep up. Where more is MORE and “laziness” is not to be tolerated. Even many fitness professionals and “motivational influencers” are getting in on the action - “No rest days!” “Never miss a Monday!” “Don’t let the weekend become your weak-end!”
It’s easy to fall into the trap. To compare. To push.
But is that really the way to go? Is that level of drive truly the best way to accomplish your goals?
Whatever your goal is, rest needs to become an essential component of the process. It is necessary for your body, your mind and your soul. It is often the missing ingredient in our progress, productivity and even our sense of fulfillment.
Rest days are often maligned and misunderstood. So let’s start at the beginning, with an understanding of what rest is, how we can do it, and why it is so important.
The dictionary defines the verb “rest” as:
“Cease work or movement in order to relax, refresh oneself, or recover strength.”
And, in noun form, as:
“An instance or period of relaxing or ceasing to engage in strenuous activity.”
When it comes to rest days, the meaning is still similar - it means to take a break from our regular intensity of activity in order to allow our bodies, minds and souls to restore and recover.
Rest days are important in all realms of our lives. Let’s explore.
When it comes to physical activity, the need for rest is strategic. When we push our muscles, what we are actually doing is causing micro-tears in the muscle fiber. The actual act of building the muscles is not done in the process of causing these tears. Your muscles become stronger as these tears are repaired. And that happens when you rest. Same thing for building endurance. While we dance or run or engage in other endurance cardiovascular activities, we train our bodies to move. While we rest, we train them to adapt. While there is great temptation to train longer, harder, every day of the week, what usually happens is that our progress stalls or even regresses when we don’t give our muscles and joints adequate time to catch up to what we are doing. In no uncertain terms, without rest days, your body will not reach its fullest potential.
This can be seen in other realms, as well. The fast paced, high expectations of today’s world are not only in terms of our physical activity, but also cause us to hustle and grind in other aspects of our lives as well. Our jobs, our homes, in providing for our families - the same “more is more” mentality has been pushed on us, and is causing a decrease in our mental and emotional health.
Similarly to how our muscles truly grow when we allow them to rest and repair, our hearts and minds need time and space to process our busy lives and all of the information that they take in on a daily (hourly!) basis. Have you ever noticed that oftentimes your best ideas and most creative solutions come to you once you step away from the problem at hand and give yourself a break? It’s when we allow our minds to relax that they have the space to truly access the creativity needed for each situation.
Rest days do not have to be sedentary. In fact, more often than not, they really shouldn’t be. Yes, there is absolutely a time and place for planting yourself on the couch with your family and your favorite snacks and making it your goal to keep your day’s step-count under 100. But that is not the only kind of rest day.
Active rest days are a break from the intensity of your regular routine, but can still allow for joyful movement. Think a stroll in nature, a leisurely bike ride through the park, restorative yoga or even playing outside with your friends or kids. Active rest days will allow your body to recover gently and will energize you for your return to your regular level of activity.
Still not convinced? Here are some of the other proven benefits of rest:
Reduces the risk of injury - When your body is overworked or fatigued, you are more likely to fall out of proper form or alignment and cause damage to yourself. The same can be said mentally and emotionally - when you are overworked and over-fatigued by your mental load, you are more likely to miss key details and make mistakes.
Reduces stress - on your body and your mind. Rest allows you to process, both physically and mentallym, the stressors that are present in your life. By taking time away from them - from the weights or from the work, you are allowing yourself to step away from the demands of the situation and reassess your needs.
Allows balance - Taking a day away from your exercise regimen or your daily work demands will allow you to develop and focus on other interests and cultivate a more complete and well rounded identity, exploring all sides of yourself.
Improves sleep - constant work, both in and out of the gym, can cause overproduction of stress hormones, making it harder for your body to settle and get a restorative night’s sleep. Rest days allow these hormones to balance, resetting your body’s ability to function at its most productive level.
So let’s throw out the notion that rest is the enemy of progress, that pause is the antithesis of productivity. Your rest needs to be planned and protected, as it is an integral part of your growth.
So let's do this.
Breathe.
Relax.
Rebuild.
Restore.
