I wish I could have sat down and written the most motivational Monday post about long runs, and healthy food and feelin’ good and all the things that jazz me up in hopes that it would rub off into cyberspace and straight to you.

But as you can clearly see it’s Tuesday, which as you might be guessing by now means motivation might not be my forte this week. Let’s get real shall we, last week my body just wasn’t feelin’ it. I would be excited for my workout all day and get to the gym and not have the strength and energy. My left knee wasn’t cooperating. But I kept at it, hoping that it was a minor funk that would roll off. But the Sunday came and I still didn’t feel myself. I was agitated, anxious, exhausted and straight up starving no matter what I ate. On Sunday, my heart wasn’t in it, my head wasn’t in it and my body certainly wasn’t in it. So I didn’t do my planned long run. I didn’t run at all.

They say you never regret a run. Well that’s about 95% true, because the other 5% of regret can come from overtraining, not letting your body recover and injuring yourself leading to no running at all.

So instead of being super bummed about missing my long run, I decided to make this a learning opportunity. As soon as I decided that it would be detrimental NOT to take the rest day, I wanted it to be not just a rest, but a reset day. Have you ever felt that you needed to mentally, physically and emotionally hit the “reset?” I felt it in my exercise, attitude and diet.

So here are some tips I can share to make the most of your rest and reset days, because they’re crucial for making the most of the days you can crush your workouts.

Stay away from social media

I follow a lot of fitness and health bloggers on basically every social media out there, so on a rest day it messes with my head to see everyone posting about their intense workouts and epic runs. Naturally it makes me feel guilty for not getting out there, but I have to remind myself that it’s not a contest, and I’m doing the best thing for ME.

Stay on the Move

Rest day doesn’t mean sit on a chair all day. It’s still important to have some kind of activity whether thats a relaxing walk, hike, yoga or extended stretching session. This helps me keep my momentum and moving just feels good! I did get a chance on Sunday to go for a mini walk around the park with my sister, which was something I definitely needed.

Eat Wholesome Foods That Make You Feel Good

On rest days I try to eat foods that leave me feeling my best, things that don’t weigh me down or trigger any kind of guilt. That means loads of flavorful veggies and healthy snacks. 

Exercise Your Brain

With the extra time you have, treat yourself to reading for 30 minutes to an hour (or longer). I know reading is something I love doing but don’t make time for. It’s a great way to get those feelin’-good accomplishment vibes that come with a great workout.

Remind Yourself That It’s Just 1 Day

It’s not the end of the world. You’re doing your body a favor by giving it time to repair and get ready to be even more awesome. Tomorrow you’ll be back at it ready to take names.

Good news: While I didn’t have a ton of time, I was able to get in a killer speed run and do some lifting yesterday which picked up my spirits and restored the mojo.

Take Away: If you ever feel like you’re burning out- don’t ignore that. Slow and steady progression is 1000x better than crash and burn.

Question Time:

• Have you ever had to take an impromptu rest day?
• Have you ever ignored the signs and gone too far?
• What do you do on your rest/reset days?

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