I want to tell you a story about someone I know...
She hit the gym hard, and people admired her for it.
She would be at the gym 5 to 6 days a week for 2 hours each time. Sometimes she'd hit a session in the morning and then be back again at night.
She was pushing herself so she could be the best she could be. She wanted to be fit and strong and was willing to bust her ass for it...
...but she wasn't willing to take the time to stretch, work on mobility, or properly warm up and cool down. She "didn't have time."
She was under-eating while binge drinking on the weekends.
She was stressed and anxious AF but wasn't doing much to manage it.
Soon she started having injuries flare up - old and new. No worries, she figured she could train through it and she did...
...until her pain and burnout became so apparent she could no longer ignore them anymore and had to step back from what she loved the most.
That girl is me.
I wish I could tell 23-year-old me that what I thought was discipline was actually disordered behavior.
As an individual who has reset her life to be on a healthier path, I've had my eyes opened to how rampant the toxic assumption that no rest days is admirable.
With programs like 75 Hard and fitness trackers that nudge you to close your rings daily, we've become fixated on movement to an extreme sense.
NO REST DAYS IS TOXIC AF
What you need to understand is that exercise is STRESS. It is the act of placing stress on the muscle and creating tiny little tears in the muscles as you do so. It is not until we RECOVER that our body begins to heal those tears and build muscle. Without recovery, you won't see the progress you want. In fact, too much stress on the body can result in increase risk of injury, illness, and a plateau or decline in training performance.
The assumption that training is the only factor that contributes to health and health goals is a gross understatement. Other aspects we need to address on the health spectrum include nutrition, hydration, sleep, stress, and recovery.
Many will put all their effort into exercising excessively but will neglect the rest and then wonder why they're not seeing results. Even if your genes allow you to neglect these aspects while still seeing muscle growth or fat loss, you're still not truly healthy.
Fitness is supposed to enhance your life, not hinder it.
You have a life to live, and exercising every single day for hours at a time is unsustainable for the majority of the population (not to mention entirely unnecessary if you aren't a professional athlete).
No rest days focuses on shaming people for not doing enough, making them feel like results are unattainable if they don't have endless amounts of time to commit to it. This kind of mindset is a quick road to burnout and may be more discouraging for anyone trying to live a healthier life.
SO WHAT SHOULD YOU BE DOING WHEN IT COMES TO HEALTH + YOUR GOALS?
Here's a comprehensive checklist to guide you along your way. If you find yourself in a plateau or having difficulty reaching your goals, this checklist will serve as a triage to determine what obstacle could be in your way.
✔️ Realistically you only need to exercise 3-4 times per week (30-60 min) depending on your goals and time available. If you want to exercise more that's fine but you need to increase your recovery to do so. Make sure you're warming up properly before each session.
✔️ Days off from the gym do not need to be sedentary - active recovery is excellent for recovery. Active recovery involves low impact movement such as yoga, walking, hiking, or anything else that doesn't put too much stress on the body.
✔️ An ideal ratio of workouts to stretch and/or mobility sessions is at a minimum 1:1. Even more ideal is fitting in stretching on your rest days as part of your active recovery.
My favorite app for guided stretching is Down Dog Yoga and my favorite app for improving mobility is GOWOD.
✔️ Eat mostly whole, real foods and a balance of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, protein, and healthy fats. Try to limit processed foods. Chronic dieting can place stress on the body, so ensure you're eating enough to nourish your body.
✔️ Ensure you're staying hydrated by drinking water. I don't like to give recommended amounts because an individual's needs are dependent on many factors. A great way to tell is by the color of your urine - clear urine means you are well hydrated.
✔️ Aim for 7-8 hours of quality sleep each night. Try shutting off electronics 30 minutes off prior to your bedtime and do calming activities to prepare your body for sleep.
✔️ It's important you manage your stress, but it's understandable that we cannot avoid all stressors. Focus on what you can control and incorporate parasympathetic activities in your day to day such as meditation, journaling, getting outside daily, or anything else that helps you feel calm and relaxed.
My favorite meditation app is Insight Timer.
WHAT NOW?
Maybe this checklist I provided you feels overwhelming and you're not sure where to start. It doesn't matter that you're not checking all of these boxes right now, but what matters is you make the effort to change your habits in that direction and make the shift over time.
Maybe start with the easiest habit to implement or the one that would create the greatest impact for you.
If you're still feeling lost, I invite you to consider 1:1 coaching. I take the overwhelm out of the process of adopting a healthy lifestyle and will walk you through integrating these habits to help you reach your goals and feel your absolute best.
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