Rest! Glorious Rest!!!
When you've actually stuck with a program (even if you haven't stuck with the diet) you need this day. Omgoodness I needed today. A while back I was told by a friend that when your metabolism is up, it can cause you to sleep more. This was during a conversation where she was trying to explain that if you slept less, your metabolism went down. At first I didn't believe her. Now I'm thinking she has her foot in on a good theory here.
(BTW as a note here, if you have a theory on how a body works, look into it. I've noticed that a ton of my theories actually have research to back it up. Your body is a lot smarter than you give it credit for. If it's trying to tell you something, research it!)
Why do I think rest day is so important?
#1- Your body will fight you if you don't give it a day to repair itself. I don't care if you're walking 10 minutes a day followed by 50 situps. You will not get the abs you want if you do not give them a days rest in between your ab workouts. You will not lose the weight you want if you do not let your body have a day to repair itself. I dare you to do the research on this one. Unless a workout is routine for you (something you've done every day for over a month) your body has to repair the muscles for the new exercises. If it IS the same daily routine, you're not getting any benefits from it other than a mini calorie burn for those few minutes. Go pro at this if you really want to lose weight. Change your routine up at least every 3 weeks and make sure you have at least one day of rest each week. BtW did you know an overworked body can actually retain fat and use muscle as its energy source? Go sit down now!
#2- You need a mental day. Pampering yourself is NOT A BAD THING. Take a bath while reading a book in the 30 min you would have exercised that day. Take this time to relax and unwind from your week. Less stress means less cortisol, GH, and norepinephrine production in the body. We've all seen the commercials that blame cortisol for the mean boss of them all, belly fat. We need to see more commercials for norepinephrine which causes ADHD and depression. Yes, the same hormone/neurotransmitter that causes a person's mind to go a million miles an hour can also cause them to slow down and cry. The more we slow down and the more anxious we get, the more we tend to overeat and pick the wrong foods. And with a society FILLED with norepinephrine, we should urge each other to take a day to catch up. It's almost instinct now for our bodies to overdose us on this mean mean hormone. To make a long story short, get out of those work out clothes and step into a relaxing bath. Now. Do it!
#3- Your workouts are not you. This is not your "life". Your family, your mental health, your hobbies... they want to see YOU, not a workout-aholic. We all love the feeling after a workout. Our body is sore, we feel like a champion, our adrenaline is pumping, we look sexy when sweaty... But don't be afraid to take a day where you have one less thing on your schedule. I say this mostly for the people who spend the whole 2 hours at the gym each day. I'm happy you have that childcare time where someone else watches the rugrats. Stop being a gym nerd. We're all looking at you funny. You should see my face right now. It's all like (0.o) (<--- me looking at you funny) Workout weirdo... See, if you would have just taken the day off from working out today, I would have never looked at you this way.
Workout for the day- NONE
Calories- 1440
Protein- 102 (Ok so I had two shakes today and a lot of chicken)
Stayed within ranges of fats. Went over by 6 on carbohydrates.
Majority of meals today- fruit
I had an amazing chicken salad today. Omgoodness it was good.
1 can mandarin oranges, 1 cup steamed apples (no I normally do not steam or cook my fruits and veggies), less than 1/4 cup pecans, a little coconut, 1/2 cup diced grapes, plain yogurt, 1 chicken breast. I made it up by sight. I saw someone at work have it. OMGOODNESS I'm in love with this meal. :)
Shakeology mix for the day- 1 scoop shakeology, 1 cup yogurt. Mix with spoon and enjoy like pudding :)
About me and Beachbody
Sparkpeople
How to order TurboFire, P90X, Insanity, Beachbody products, Shakeology
