Rest ≠ Being Lazy

Do you ever feel horrible after a rest day?

If you are anything like us and you love being active on a daily basis, then taking a rest day isn't as easy as it sounds.

And if you are the kind of person who has a tough time sitting still, it could feel like actual torture.

But taking a rest day doesn't necessarily mean you should sit still all day. In fact, there are so many things you can (and maybe should) do to help your body actively recover from a tough week or workout.

Most people think of rest as stopping. Doing less. Taking a break. But real recovery isn’t passive. It's productive. It’s not the absence of effort, but the intentional creation of conditions that allow your body to adapt, rebuild, and come back stronger. For example:

• If your typical rest day involves getting takeout, then next time you might try picking up some fresh produce and cooking a hearty, nutrient dense meal.

• If your typical rest day involves sitting at your desk working, then next time you might try getting up every hour to stretch or take a short walk.

• If your typical rest day involves laying on the couch all day, then next time you might try spending some of that time in the sauna and/or a cold plunge.

Rest days shouldn’t feel like a pause in progress. Because in reality, they a catalyst for progress. And just like we train in the gym to get stronger and faster, we need to train our recovery as well. Here are a few simple ways we can:

• Sleep like it’s just as important as your job.

• Fuel yourself with the nutrients you need, not just the foods you want.

• Walk, move, and stretch, not to burn calories, but to restore circulation and nervous system balance.

• Breath with the intention of filling your body with fresh oxygen.

• Reflect. How did this week’s training feel? What’s improving? What’s not?

So, if you're feeling the need a rest day that involves nothing but your couch and a movie marathon... then you do you. We have those days too, so we won't judge.

But... if you're the kind of person who feels slightly allergic to rest days because you don't love the way you feel after, then shifting your rest days from lazy to intentional might just change your mind about them.

Rest is not about doing nothing. It’s about doing what helps you recover, reset, and come back stronger.