It is so easy to get on Instagram and see fitness challenges like “The 75 Day Challenge” where you work out every day for 75 days, or some other crazy fitspo nonsense. Let me be clear, you do not need to participate in these challenges to be healthy! They are BS. They are not sustainable and can lead to exercise and body image obsession. 

In a world where we congratulate being busy, it is easy to put your needs on the back burner. Even if you are tired or don’t feel like working out, you do because #nevermissamonday. When we constantly silence our thoughts and signals in regards to our bodies' needs around movement, we end up disconnecting the signals and signs that help our bodies properly function. 

It turns out that the same goes for our hunger cues. The longer we ignore them, the weaker the cues get, until we stop being able to notice them. The same goes for movement and our bodies. Our bodies need rest days. Our bodies need time to relax, recharge, rebuild, and recuperate. Rest helps reduce your stress. Rest helps with decision-making. Rest can increase creativity. You don’t win an award because you worked out 10 days in a row. Giving yourself multiple rest days a week is healthier than pushing through. Rest is healing and that can look different for everyone. 

Keeping all this in mind, here are some ways to incorporate rest into your weekly schedule.

Come home from work and sit on the couch

Now, I know you’re like, “Wow, that is so unhealthy!” But how many days a week do you want to just come home and sit down but instead go out to a happy hour or go to the gym? You have permission to set boundaries with yourself and others in order to prioritize your rest. So, for one week, I encourage you to listen to those signals or cues. Your body doesn’t lead you astray. If you listen to the voice in your head that wants you to rest, you may end up having more energy the next day or later in the week for an activity or event you are really looking forward to.

Take a nap!

This one has been tough for me. I have some superiority complex in thinking that if I take a nap, I’m weak. Where did this come from? I’m not sure, but it has stuck with me for years. I felt like if I let myself nap, I would waste my afternoon or day, but that’s not the case! Over the past two years, I have worked on allowing myself to nap if I felt the desire to on a Saturday or Sunday. We work so hard all week long, a nap on the weekend is not going to ruin anything! It allows me to fully rest and recharge for the upcoming week. I’m thankful I have given myself full permission to nap when I need to. 

Be outside. 

Being in nature is so calming to me. Even if I’m sitting on my back patio after work for 30 minutes, that time in the sun, listening to the birds and kids play fills me up. Being outside, in the sun, for at least 15 minutes can increase your serotonin levels and your vitamin D levels. So go outside, sit, and do nothing. Be present and rest. Maybe this would be a time to work on breathing and meditation, or just sit knowing that is a recovery in itself.

As I mentioned above, we can compare ourselves to others easily on social media and it’s so easy to come to believe that we are failures because we don’t wake up at 5 am every day to do CrossFit and post about it. Any movement that feels good is important for your health, so forcing intense activity when you desperately need some rest is not beneficial for your health in the long run. 

I hope this helps push you to take that day of rest. I hope you sit down and fully rest without guilt or shame. I hope you enjoy and value rest just as much as you enjoy and value movement. Setting boundaries can be hard, so if you want some encouragement or guidance, you can work with me one-on-one! Click here to get started with your journey today.