lifestyle

How do you rest?

I am writing this post in advance, for publication on my rest day.  Sunday, in my life, is a day when I take it easy.  I sleep in a little, go for a long run, eat breakfast with my family, go to church, have a nap in the afternoon and that is about all.  The pace is easy, the load is light and by Sunday night I am usually sliding into a relaxed, delicious coma by about 9:00.  The key point here is that I do nothing that I would normally call work.

Monday is another type of rest day for me.  I have been keeping the habit of setting aside Monday as the day that I do no physical training.  I might do some gentle stretching or take a long walk, but I make a point of never raising a sweat.  Again, by Monday night, I feel relaxed, loose and ready for another week. 

The most powerful thing about these two days is that they are regular.  Each week is the same, and as the days roll on I look forward to a break from my rhythm.  Though I would often like to work straight through the weekend and taking Monday off training is hard for me, I have come to really value the rest.

On top of these weekly rests I also have a micro rest cycle during my day and a macro rest cycle during my year.  Some people even manage to program in a year of rest after a certain number of years of work.  I haven’t managed this myself yet, but it is worth considering.

The reason that rest is such a powerful force is that it more than makes up for missed opportunities.  If I take a half hour rest in the middle of my day then I will be more productive for longer, in a way that more than makes up for the “lost” half hour.  In the same way, I consider my day off to be an essential tool to enable me to fire on the other six days. 

There are many people out there in the world who do not take rest seriously.  They plod on continually, not even realising that they would achieve more if they took a rest.  These people are most clearly seen in big business where it is popular to put in long, long hours with little regard to how efficient those hours are.  What a waste.

How do you rest?  Please take a moment to drop a comment in here, telling us how you rest.

Thanks

Tom