to rest or not to rest – the off day conundrum

So today is day five of my rotation, or the “off” or “rest” day. But I woke up feeling pretty energetic and had some business discussions that created some of that inner-fury that needs to be burnt off. And it was really nice outside. I couldn’t sit still.

But, it is imperative to let your body rest. You break down tissues in the gym, and then you need to let them heal. What to do, what to do? Do I sit inside and let the energy build up and go into day 1 of the rotation all gangbusters? It’s a nice thought, but I’ve had plenty of days where I come off a rest and feel less ready to exercise. I liken it to the nap sensation where you take a nap, and then instead of getting up from it ready to build a house singlehandedly, you’d rather continue to nap all day. Don’t get me wrong – I love me some naps.

It’s a 50/50 proposition every time and this time I threw caution to the wind. I took a long bike ride. It was beautiful out – had to soak up some of that sweet outdoors. You have to let your body rest. It’s not like I rode 100 miles, but I didn’t do nothing either. I have a pretty good grasp on how my body will react. I’ll need to make sure I eat a little more today to replace the glycogen I burned up to be ready to exercise tomorrow. Hopefully sleep well. Maybe not have a drink – wink wink.

But I should be ok. And if I blow off the rest day next time, I may still be ok. But there will come a time if you blow it off enough that you’re going to get worn down. And when you’re worn down you might start getting a little dinged up. But it’s probably nothing serious, and nothing a little rest won’t fix.

Long and short, listen to your body. If you’re wired up and ready to engage in more activity, do it. Just remember to compensate with some more calories. Eventually you’ll need to catch up on that rest. And if you’re feeling worn down in the middle of a rotation, take a day off and recover. Maybe save it for a rainy day, and then pick up where you left off the next day. Gotta be disciplined, but not super-rigid.

Later! I hope it’s sunny wherever you are reading this.