You Work Out Hard So You Must Rest

Rest days, they come and sometimes they’re longer than your long run. It’s hard when you establish a routine, every weekday I head to the gym at roughly the same time so when I take my rest day, Mondays, at 11am I have that feeling that I need to be somewhere.

It’s rough, I actually feel a bit of a surge until I reign myself in and refocus on work because today I don’t get to work out. There’s some consolation in the fact that in taking a rest day I am actually contributing to my fitness even when it seems counterintuitive. Rest days are crucial though since they allow your body a chance to heal from all the stress of pounding the pavements and trails and even just a break from the effort. Working out is one of the biggest stress relievers and one of my favourite things to do but it does take a toll mentally, going in to the gym after a long run or ride and hitting some weights or going through a core workout. It’s refreshing sometimes to step back and go back and crush it again.

I think I take the biggest consolation from the fact that tomorrow I get to workout. It gives me something to look forward to and plan. But still, is it time to workout yet?