Rest is incredibly important for your body. Not only do we rest our bodies for roughly eight hours each night to help it recover from the rigors of the day, but it’s also vitally important in between workouts, practices or athletic performance. Rest gives our body time to heal after we’ve pushed our muscles and other soft tissues to the brink, but keep in mind that you don’t need to lay on the couch all day during your rest period. In fact, your body will actually recover faster and become stronger if you pursue active rest. Below, we explain why active rest days can actually boost your recovery or athletic performance.
What Is Active Rest?
Active rest is a bit of an oxymoronic term, but being active during your rest period can help fuel recovery in a number of ways. As we’ve mentioned on different blogs in the past, early movement and activity is tied to improved recovery results for a number of conditions, including injuries like a concussion or in the wake of a major surgery like joint replacement. Rest helps to protect areas from additional stress and injury, but rest alone won’t help you make the strongest function recovery. That’s where active rest comes in.
You can pursue active rest in a number of different ways. Many athletes pursue low impact exercises to help get their heart rate up, boost their circulation and remove waste products like lactic acid from their system. Some examples of active rest activities include:
- Taking a walk
- Yoga
- A short bike ride
- Gentle stretching
These low stress activities work to decrease inflammation and boost tissue recovery after a more strenuous exercise session.
However, active rest doesn’t always need to be physical in nature. Again, this goes back to the idea that a rest day doesn’t need to just be a lazy day on the couch. Pursue an activity that gets you off the couch and challenges your mind. Painting, reading a book or finishing a puzzle are all ways to engage your brain while your body is recovering from the trauma of days past. These activities will not directly improve your muscle strength or your joint flexibility, but caring for your mental health is essential. When you’re mentally refreshed, you’re more likely to make healthy food choices and get restful sleep, two key pillars of health and wellness. Challenge your body a little bit on your rest day, but also pursue activities that engage your brain.
We work with athletes in all different stages of recovery. Whether they’re fresh off Achilles tendon surgery or looking to make strides during the offseason, we can show you how to take advantage of rest days to boost your overall recovery. It’s not uncommon for coaches, parents and even athletes to assume that the only way to improve athletic performance is to push the body harder and harder. Not only is that incorrect, but it also increases your risk of an injury and athlete burnout. Instead, embrace rest and use it to fuel your body and your mind so that you can be recharged the next time you hit the field, pound the pavement or look to set a new personal best.
For more information about active rest programs, or for assistance developing an athletic performance improvement plan, connect with the team at OrthoRehab Specialists today at (612) 339-2041.
PT of Costa Rican National Soccer Team for 2007 World Cup in Victoria, CAN. Clinical Instructor for University of Minnesota Doctor of Physical Therapy Affiliations
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