September 19, 2012

Active Rest - An Oxymoron?

As my personal workout routine has picked up lately with more weights, I've been told to really take my rest days seriously as my body needs to rebuild and recover. The notion of "active rest" days always baffled me. If I wanted to take a rest day, I don't want to be "active," I want to spend it on my rear with my laptop exploring Pinterest.


Incorporating active rest days help in several ways:
  • Increases blood flow to flush out built up lactic acid
  • It helps to get your blood flowing, bringing oxygen and nutrients to muscles
  • Promotes muscle recovery and reduces fatigue to then reduce the risk of injury
  • Replaces glycogen stores
Thankfully, being "active" on rest days isn't quite as strenuous as you'd imagine:

  • Take at least 1 active rest day per week
  • Do moderate activity for at least 20 minutes: You should be able to easily carry on a conversation during the activity
  • Don't exceed 65% of your maximum heart rate. It's about getting blood flowing.
Personally, my favorite active rest activity is walking my dog. It's convenient and easy, and she seems to like it :)

What's your favorite active rest activity?

3 comments:

  1. Thank you for this post. I really gives me an additional information.

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  2. Pretty much everything I do for fun is active, so my rest days are almost always active rest days. My friends always thought I was crazy, but if you told me to spend a day sitting around on my butt, I'd be incredibly bored! On my rest days, I might ride my bike around town to do my errands, go for a hike/walk in the woods, go rock climbing, go kayaking, or other fun activities as they come up, like swing dancing or playing paintball

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    Replies
    1. This is awesome - I think the key is finding things that you love that are also active. Many of us don't get out and try things, so the options seem daunting. And paintball? That's on my bucket list!

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