LISTENING TO YOUR BODY
This can be the hardest thing to admit that we need to do as we are striving to better ourselves. Realizing a “non-planned rest day” needs to happen isn’t always what we feel is ideal. It’s a day where we do not run the extra mile or we do not make it to the gym for the day because our bodies are tired. It even just becomes a day where we do not do a thing we, or our personal trainer, planned for us to do. And I’m here to tell you that it’s ok.
Our bodies need REST. Sure, you may set one or two days aside each week where you do not workout/train. But what about the rest of life? Our bodies are only capable of being pushed to its limits before it crashes. Factor in the grind of work, a social life, our hobbies and workouts, our bodies can only take so much until we are forced to take a break.
Just the other day one of my clients had a day where she ended up doing absolutely nothing. And that was completely ok and needed on their part. It’s easy to keep going nonstop making deadlines, working your job, having family time while still fitting your workouts in to the point that you just keep going like the energizer bunny. When they told me that they didn’t do a dang thing the day before, I told them that was good since they did a great job listening to their body. I know I have gone nonstop with my life until I just had no other choice but to stop. And that was ok. It gave me a chance to rest and relax which is what my body told me that it needed me to do. The truth is, our body more than likely gave us hints to slow down but we didn’t take them. Continuing on while exhausted, or achy, or even irritable. Those are signs that we need to slow down and that we need to slow down before we are forced to do so.
Taking at least a few minutes each day is essential. Even if it is a break to get coffee at Starbucks or going on a walk outside to clear our head. Even just laying out by the pool with a good book since the sun is out to even taking a nap or binging thoughtless television counts as rest. The point of the matter, it doesn’t matter what we do when we make our “me” time, it’s that we take “me” time and make the most of it. Your body and mind will thank you as it is a time to rest and refresh to carry on with your life.
