The Power of Rest

I always stress the importance of "rest days".  Doesn't that sound silly?  To encourage people to NOT workout?  Well, its true.  The rest day is just as important to your health and fitness as hitting the gym and watching your nutrition.  Your body needs time to recover, rest, restore and grow.  You can't push your body to the extreme limits and not expect it to wear out. 

This week I've spent some quality down time with my family.  My kids and I have spent the entire week at our beach home and my husband joined us for a few days too (what a treat!).  As a "detox" so to speak, I let my mind, body, spirit and life just REST.  I played games, read books, taught my daughter how to ride a bike without training wheels, and had some nice steady workouts/runs.  This has probably been one of the most ordinary yet spectacular weeks of my life. 

For my mind:  I didn't focus on work.  I trusted those that were at the preschool that I own; I knew that if there was an issue, they would call me.  I checked in periodically, but other than that, I made myself sparse.  I didn't obsess about the work waiting for me at home.  I simply turned it off.  That is extremely hard for me to do!

For my body:  I ate clean, watched my macronutrients, stayed in touch with Blythe and had my refeed day.  I had a couple really great long runs and got several nights of restful sleep.  I turned off the phone so I didn't get texts, emails, etc late into the night or early in the morning.  I played outside with my kids.  I allowed the sunshine to soak us up and the fresh air to fill our lungs.  I took advantage of the gorgeous days to spend some time getting my kids active and get my body burning some calories!

For my spirit:  I got lost in books, I laughed out loud with my kids, I worked on "choosing my battles" and letting go of tension.  I just focused on the small things in life that make life so big!  I think in our busy lives we lose sight of that and I made it a point to search out the beautiful things in my life that I often take for granted. 

Carve time out of your schedule to rest.  Rest your mind, rest your body, rest your spirit and feed your soul.  These are all parts of your health and deserve the time to repair and grow.