You don’t need a rest day. Instead, make recovery a regular part of your routine. ⁠ ⁠

Your mind and body thrive on daily movement. Most days of the week this will be a workout (strength or cardio). A couple days per week you need less intensity (like walking, taking Pilates or Barre class, or practicing yoga). But you absolutely need to move for 30-60 minutes every day.⁠ ⁠

Not even people who’ve just had knee replacement surgery get a rest day — they’re getting exercised that day in the hospital. Athletes don’t take rest days — they go for recover rides or runs, they tamper, and they work at lower intensity to focus on skill or technique. And if you’ve just “pulled” your back, the worst thing you can do is take to the couch. ⁠ ⁠

If you’re not a competitive athlete, your goals are probably to look good, keep your body feeling good, have more energy, and be healthier. These are not accomplished by training so hard you can’t get off the couch the next day. ⁠ ⁠

Here’s how to incorporate RECOVERY into your routine:⁠ ⁠

・Self-Myofascial Release (SMR) with the foam roller, LAX ball, or other tools. ⁠

⁠ ・Stress Management: Stress is both the external stressor (your boss, traffic, the fight with your partner, your workout) and your internal response. You can’t always change the external stressor. The only thing you can control is yourself. Manage stress with meditation, massage, gentle yoga, and any other healthy strategies that work for you. ⁠ ⁠

・Lower Intensity Work: mobility work, physical therapy exercises, yoga, Pilates, walking, etc.⁠ ⁠

・Hydration and Nutrition: Drink 100oz of water and eat real food consistently every day to give your body what it needs to prepare for and repair after workouts. ⁠ ⁠

・Sleep: This is the most important component of recovery. No amount of foam rolling or “rest days” will make up for a lack for sleep. Adult humans need 7.5-9.5 hours every night. The harder your workouts the more sleep you need. The quality and quantity of your sleep needs to dictate the intensity of your workouts. ⁠ ⁠

Remember: Train hard. Recover harder. ⁠