What To Do On Rest Days From The Gym
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8 Healthy Things To Do On A Recovery Rest Day
On today’s episode of Live Lean TV, we answer a viewer question who asked for healthy ideas on what to do on rest days from the gym.
This question is from #AskLiveLeanTV Ep. 008.
Here’s today’s viewer question:
@karlagaytan42 on Twitter asks: I always end up stressing when I don’t workout. I’m curious about what to do on rest days from the gym?
That’s a great question.
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Both Jessica and I used to totally stress out on our rest days.
We would just sit there twiddling our thumbs and not know what to do with ourselves.
All we could think about is how badly we wanted to go to the gym.
There are so many memes on the internet about this.
The irony is so hilarious too because it’s so backwards from “regular” people who don’t want to workout, and have to force themselves to go to the gym.
Based on this, these people are probably seeing this question, and the memes, but it makes no sense to them.
They’re thinking, what’s up with these fitness people!
Fitness is like a drug
Once you feel the natural high and energy increase after a great workout, fitness becomes like a drug.
Then once you start seeing the results in the mirror, fitness really becomes addictive.
So that’s why fitness junkies have to pull back a little bit and really start implementing rest days from the gym.
In the long run, this is for the better for your body because you need to allow for sufficient recovery.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s great to go beast mode for a while, but after some time, you are going to hit a wall.
Therefore you have to limit yourself a little bit when it comes to how much you train.
It’s also important to learn how to enjoy yourself and not stress out on rest and recovery days.
This recovery time is really essential for your long-term success.
What To Do On Rest Days From The Gym
#1. Watching a movie at the theater or on your couch
Actually “Netflix and chilling” can be a form of cardio 😘.
However, if you’re not talking about that type, going to the movies, or simply laying on the couch watching a movie at home, can be a form of recovery, as it will allow your body to heal itself.
However, if you just sit on the couch all day without moving around, it may drive you insane, especially if you’re really into fitness like we are.
So we’re recommending watching a movie as a short-term form of rest, not an all day activity.
#2. Go for a walk
Going for a walk is an excellent low impact activity on your rest day.
We typically challenge our clients to strive for 10,000 steps on rest days from the gym.
#3. Go to the beach
Another great rest day activity is spending the day at the beach.
The combination of the fresh air, beach water, and the rays from the sun can do wonders for your body.
#4. Shoot some hoops
One of my favorite low impact rest day activities is shooting some hoops at the basketball court.
Again, this gets me outside and increases my step count, all while being low impact to help speed up recovery.
#5. Go for a bike ride
Riding your bike with family is another great rest day activity that allows you to move your body, while still allowing for recovery.
#6. Go rollerblading
If you don’t have a bike, lace up the rollerblades and go for a low impact skate around your community.
#7. Meal prep and grocery shop
During rest days, we schedule our Team Live Lean members to use that 45-60 minutes when they’re usually working out, to focus on planning their meals for the upcoming days.
This includes meal prep in the kitchen as well as going to the grocery store to pick up the ingredients for the recipes provided in their meal plan.
In other words, use that hour not for working out, but for preparing your nutrition.
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#8. Stretching and mobility work
If you still need to do something active to get your blood flowing, you can also do some stretching and mobility work.
This is why we came created our Live Lean Mobility follow along video program and our Live Lean Yoga follow along video program.
Bottom Line: What To Do On Rest Days From The Gym
So those are 8 healthy things to do on a non-gym recovery rest day to get your body moving and help you feel better.
Here’s a really good video showing you exactly what we do on our active recovery rest days.
You can also follow us on our social media to see what we do on our active recovery rest days.
We usually share a lot of different activities that we enjoy that are not intense enough to be considered a real workout.
It’s important to have hobbies for yourself outside of working out.
So find things that are not intensely physical, that you’re interested in, really love doing, and that feels fun to you.
That’s how we enjoy our rest days from the gym.
If you want to learn more about the nutrition side on your off days, go check out the video post we did on Should You Eat Less Calories On Non Workout Days?
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Question For You:
- What is your favorite thing to do on your recovery and rest days from the gym?
Be sure to share your answers in the comment section below.
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Brad Gouthro is the founder of Live Lean TV, a media company focused on helping men and women “Live Lean” 365 days a year. Brad’s programs and content have helped millions of people all over the world learn how to get in shape, and more importantly, sustain it for life.
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