how to optimize your rest days
rest days and training days are equally important! whatever your goal may be - your body needs recovery time in order to build strength, endurance, or lose fat. at least 2 rest days per week is recommended for most people, and we can use these as an opportunity for activities that aid our recovery + things we love to do outside of fitness to fill our cup. here are some of our favorites:
- go for a light walk outside - we shouldn’t be engaging in intense exercise or cardio on rest days, but walking is a parasympathetic activity that helps lower stress! plus, walking promotes recovery by increasing blood flow and helps with digestion.
- stretch - stretching is an excellent way to reduce muscle soreness. spend time stretching the muscles you worked out during your last session - this will help you recover faster, improve flexibility and range of motion.
-
try a sauna or cold plunge
- spending time in the sauna helps flush toxins out of the body through sweat, plus reduces soreness and stiffness. the heat from the sauna has also been shown to stimulate growth hormone, which promotes muscle growth and repair.
- cold plunge can help reduce inflammation and soreness, specifically by lowering swelling and lactic acid buildup in the muscles.
- bake a fun treat - baking can be a great way to get creative on a rest day, and you can make your treats macro-friendly with beam’s vegan or whey protein! click here for some recipe inspo.
- meditate - take some time on your rest days to practice mindfulness or meditation. this improves mental health and reduces cortisol, our stress hormone, which lowers inflammation so our muscle fibers can repair.
-
keep up with your electrolytes and greens - your health supplements are just as important on rest days!
- even if you’re not training, you still need electrolytes for proper hydration. keep beam’s recovery aminos in your rest day line-up - not only will these keep you hydrated, they've got bcaas, eaa's, and antioxidants to support muscle preservation and cellular health.
- don’t skip your greens either! have beam’s super greens even on rest days to keep digestion consistent and regular. because who wants to be bloated any day of the week, or go into a training day feeling backed up? try flavors like cherry limeade or pink lemonade and you definitely won’t want to skip this even on a rest day.
lastly, a common misconception is that you should eat less on rest days than training days. this is false! we need to fuel just as much on rest days because even though we’re not working out, our bodies are still going through the recovery process and need the same amount of fuel to help with metabolism and muscle building.
optimize your rest days with these tips so you can get back to the gym feeling stronger and more energized
Leave a comment