Rest & Recovery: The Less Sexy Way to get Healthy

Rejuvenation, Rest, Recovery. I was a bit surprised when I took to Google to explore the root meanings topic. For starters, the term rejuvenate is apparently more closely associated with a certain brand of hardwood floor cleanser than it is with the human body. Second (and sadly) it seems, that Rest, Recovery and Rejuvenation are the last line-items on the list when discussing ways to improve health or reach a fitness goal. Scouring the 21st century mecca of all things health & fitness related, Instagram, the importance of recovery is rarely discussed. I follow a lot of wonderfully intelligent coaches, trainers, doctors and therapists all of whom at some time or another will dive into the life hacks of getting adequate rest, but nevertheless all of our most commonly posted themes relay back to exercise & diet. However, the problem doesn't lie in the average content those people are delivering; they are providing information that the masses more commonly seek. Discussing rest and recovery isn't as sexy or exciting either, I get that. However, I would like to make the argument that we should make it such.

If someone truly aspires to improve their health or get the body they want, prioritizing their recovery should be a "non-negotiable" behavior. It's great that you've begun to exercise or change the way you eat, but if you're getting less than 7 hours of sleep on average each night, the ROI with those new habits will begin to have diminishing returns. Without proper recovery the body doesn't have time to adjust to these increased stressor of exercise or limited caloric intake. The CDC sites many health risk factors such as heart disease and diabetes as correlating to decreased average sleep across various demographics. Most of us may have even heard at some point that a lack of recovery can cause weight gain. Usually taken out of context, there's not a direct line from lack of sleep to 10lbs of body fat. What happens, though, is that with inadequate recovery our hormones become more irregular and poor decision making for food selection and/or overeating is more likely to occur leading to said weight gain.

I understand that for many of you reading, this is not a profound concept. Sleep is good for you. The point I want to make here is two-fold. First, if we are embarking on some sort of behavior change to improve ourselves let's begin to deconstruct this aspect of life with the same fervor and nuance we do our nutrition or movement. Second, begin to understand that there is more to Rejuvenation, Rest, Recovery than sleep.

I recently re-posted a TED article about different types of rest. Please check it out. In a nutshell, there is more to allowing our body to recover than falling asleep at night. Imagine all of the physical, mental and emotional stressors our poor brains are inundated with each day! Depending on your current position in life (career, family, illness etc) these stressors can and will eventually be overwhelming to our bodies. Now imagine adding a new workout routine or diet on top of all of that. How long will you be able to maintain before crashing one evening? How long can your will-power force you to the gym? Any good exercise program or even a nutrition plan should have days of targeted rest. In exercise, we can categorize this as an "Active Recovery Day" where you are performing some sort of low level activity that still provides you with benefit (i.e. playing ball with your kids or gardening). While at the same time, nutritionally we should support our bodies with food that gives us the best chance to reach our goals, but have empathy ( a form of emotional rest) for when we want to go out on a Saturday night to have a decadent dinner. There are obvious caveats here depending on goal specificity, but again I'm speaking to those on a journey not in a race.

Of course, I could go on and on about the exhaustive list of rejuvenation techniques anyone could use to optimize their goals, but you're here for a quick break not a coaching consult. To wrap this concept and provide you with a takeaway, I encourage you to look at the following list of healthy recovery options and choose one you'd like to try over the next 30 days. Determine how frequently each week you want to try this habit and provide yourself with the best structure to do so successfully. Of course, feel free to reach out to me if you need more guidance! Please reply to this article with your choice or recovery habit or another that you already enjoy doing.

OPTIMIZED RECOVERY HABITS

• Increase nightly sleep by 15mins
• Stretch prior to bed
• Carry refillable water bottle daily
• Perform guided breathing in bed (InsightTimer)
• Go on 20 min walk
• Get 15 mins of sunlight
• Journal, Draw, Paint or other creative activity