Sleep and Rest Archives

We all know that doing regular workouts is highly essential to have a fit body. But, did you know that not exercising is equally important? You must be wondering how’s that even possible! It’s called active recovery.

The term ‘active recovery’ might sound alien to you now. But, we are sure that by the end of this article, you will understand completely what it is and why is it necessary for our body. To be specific, active recovery means active rest. It is the time we spend doing activities that are less intense compared to our regular sets of workouts. It involves easy body movements, which do not cause fatigue. Just like we all need a day off after we work for six days a week, our bodies also need rest days in a workout when it can relax.

Benefits of active recovery

There are multiple benefits of active recovery. Some common advantages of taking a day off from the usual workout session are –

When you are taking a break from the hectic usual workout sessions, you are allowing your body to rejuvenate. The body auto-recovers from the previous workouts, when the blood flow increases in the muscles and tissues with the help of active recovery.
Rest days in workout can also boost blood circulation that pumps in oxygen, and amino acid in the blood. This in turn equips muscles in the body to self-repair themselves.
Rest days in workout helps in flushing out waste products that are built in the body during exercise.
Active recovery also helps in providing people with a refreshing mental break from intense training.

You should turn your off days into active recovery days to reap the maximum benefits. If you are wondering what to do on rest days, here are a few suggestions for you.

Tai Chi

If you are fond of martial arts, well then tai chi can be just what you would want to practice during your rest days in workout. Tai Chi helps in building strength, creates balance, and makes the body aware. The slow-flowing movements involved in Tai Chi activate the parasympathetic nervous system. This system calms the body, along with the mind and helps you recover from stress. Tai Chi also helps in decreasing physical pain.

Yoga

Another effective and convenient option is Yoga. It is by far the best exercise you can do during your off days. If you are still thinking of what to do on rest days, it has multiple benefits when it is being used as active recovery.

Firstly, Yoga increases flexibility.
It teaches proper breathing techniques that help in regulating the heart.
Yoga promotes blood flow.
Yoga also repairs broken tissues and muscles in the body.

Light Resistance Training

If you have been so addicted to workouts that you can’t even think of skipping a day, then you can choose to do light resistance training instead of sticking to the usual routine.

Light Resistance Training has multiple benefits in store for you:

This kind of training is beneficial in two ways – firstly, it doesn’t let you stay away from your gym even for a day, and second, this kind of light resistance training helps in active recovery. Light resistance training includes a set of five to eight exercises in one set. Each exercise needs to be performed for 40 seconds followed by a break of 20 seconds.

The sets in this training are repeated in three to four rounds. However, it is not mandatory in case you feel too tired, you can choose to skip these rounds and simply go on a walk instead of following this regimen. Just let your muscles relax.

Crawling

Crawling is what toddlers do. Have you ever watched the movements of a toddler when they crawl around? It not only provides better grip to toddlers but is also a recommended active recovery method for adults. It helps an individual in the following ways –

If you are aiming towards building body strength, crawling is for you.
Crawling develops endurance in adults.
It helps in increasing focus.
It also helps in creating a better posture.
If you are crawling for five minutes a day, you are challenging your lungs, heart, and muscles. The main objective of crawling is to make a person feel exhausted.

Swimming

Swimming is one of our favorite options when we talk about active recovery. It is considered to be the lowest impact exercise option. It helps in many different ways –

Firstly, swimming allows your body to be weightless.
Secondly, when swimming is used as active recovery, it relaxes your joints.
Thirdly, Swimming stretches a human body in a way that can’t be stretched when on the land.

Walking or Running

If you do not have a swimming pool located anywhere near your house or the gym is quite far, then you might want to simply walk down the lane holding the hands of your loved ones. You should remember that going for a walk, or a leisure jog acts as an active recovery method because they stimulate blood flow, and helps in removing lactic acid from the body. You can also go out for a walk or hit the playground for a slow leisurely jog.

Conclusion

If you want your body to respond to the exercise you should make sure you take out rest days in a workout, where you give your body a chance to rejuvenate through a process of active recovery. If you can’t make up your mind about what to do on rest days, we suggest you can try practicing Tai Chi, if you are interested in martial arts. In case you are an easy person, then you can also spend the day doing Yoga. It is widely used as a method of active recovery.

For people, who are fitness freaks and addicted to workouts, a suitable option is light resistance training.

Otherwise, you can also opt for swimming on your off days. It is considered to be the lowest impact exercise option. If you do not have a swimming pool nearby and don’t have the energy to drive to a pool. You can choose to go for a walk, or on a light jog. Both Jogging and walking also help in active recovery. We advise you should mandatorily take a break from your regular workouts If you need your body to respond to the physical workouts.

Getting a good night’s sleep may be more important than we think. Sleep is a basic human need. Sleep helps to reboot the system. It is a vital part of good health and well-being. Sleep deficiency can lead to a myriad of physical and mental health problems. It can lead to bad decisions, accidents, injuries, loss of productivity, etc. You might have trouble learning, focusing, and reacting.

Understand What is Sleep

A good night’s sleep allows the body to repair itself. We usually go through three stages of non-REM sleep before entering REM sleep. This cycle usually takes anywhere between 1 hour to 2 hours after falling asleep.

This sleep cycle is repeated several times each night, depending on the length of your night’s rest. We usually dream during the REM phase of our sleep. The brain partially paralyzes the body during sleep to prevent us from acting out our dreams. It is time we realize that our ability to function during our waking hours depends on the quality and quantity of rest that we have taken the previous night.

Count Your Blessings

Studies have shown that an attitude of gratefulness significantly improves the quality of sleep and the quality of life. Make a note of matters worrying you. You should also make a list of the things you are grateful for before going to sleep. The idea is to count your blessings. Everyone has worries. Focusing on the positive aspects of your life will help you to feel thankful for whatever you have. It will help you focus on the resources life has given you.

It will also help to remind you of everything you have to look forward to in life. Research has shown that this short five-minute exercise focusing on gratitude helps a person to go through a profound paradigm shift towards positive behavior. This also helps to bring about positive outcomes to every situation.

Set Your Body Clock

Do you know that your body is equipped with an internal body clock? This internal body clock usually operates on a 24-hour cycle and is known as the circadian rhythm. This affects you when you sleep when you stay awake and perform all your bodily functions. Try to create a sleep schedule. This will ensure that you are awake at the same time every day. This practice over some time will make getting a good night’s sleep a part of your routine. Limit the variance to this routine as much as possible.

Avoid Sleeping in on Weekends

Staying up late and sleeping in late on weekends can disrupt your body’s internal clock. Schedule your weekend entertainment within your regular working hours. This will help the body to have a strong sleeping pattern.

Create a Restful Environment

Creating an environment conducive to getting a good night’s rest is very important. We are programmed to respond to a given environment. Do you recall feeling down and then walking into a gym where people are working out? You may have suddenly felt energized by the environment of the gym.

Create a room that’s ideal for sleeping. Focus on creating a quiet and peaceful sleeping environment in the bedroom. Switch off all light-emitting screens before bedtime. Consider using earplugs or soft soothing music to help you fall asleep.

Take a Bath Before Bedtime

Taking a bath before bedtime helps to relax the system. This is a simple but powerful addition to promote better sleep. Taking a hot bath before bed relaxes muscles and helps in getting a good night’s rest.

Include Meditation Sessions

Meditation rewires the brain. We recommend a five-minute gratitude session and a five-minute meditation session before your bedtime. Depression is the world’s fastest-growing disease. Stress, anxiety, worry, etc are growing amidst the COVID pandemic.

Meditation is so simple that it is often overlooked. Include a simple 5-minute meditation session before bedtime and you will be amazed by the results. Taking simple steps to reduce your stress levels and learning how to curb the worry habit can make it easier to get a good night’s rest. We suggest that you develop a bedtime ritual to prepare your mind for sleep.

No Stimulants Before Bedtime

Make it a point to avoid stimulants like Nicotine, caffeine, etc, before bedtime. The stimulating effects of nicotine, caffeine, etc. take hours to wear off and can disrupt a good night’s rest. Research has shown that the effect of caffeine can last up to eight hours. It is not advisable to drink hard liquor before bedtime.

Although alcohol might make you feel drowsy, it also dehydrates the body and can disrupt sleep later in the night. Eat a light meal. It is advisable to not go to bed either hungry or stuffed. Try including some slow-digesting carbohydrates in your meal before bedtime.

Avoid Napping or Limit Napping

Research has shown that napping during the day provides a boost in alertness and performance. However, ensure that you limit your daytime naps to no more than 20 minutes.

Ensure To Get the Necessary Exercise

Exercise has significant mental health benefits apart from the obvious physical health benefits. Exercise releases endorphins in the body which cause mood elevation. Research has shown that people who exercise at least three times per week sleep better at night and feel less sleepy during the day. Regular exercise also negates conditions such as insomnia, sleep apnea, etc.

It also significantly increases the amount of time you spend in the stage of deep, recuperative sleep during your sleep cycle. Exercise also helps you unwind. The more stimulation your brain receives during the day, the harder it can get for you to relax and unwind.

What if You Wake Up at Night?

Focus on staying calm and not getting stressed. Do a relaxing and non-stimulating activity like deep breathing or meditation. Research has shown that if you can lie down and stay immobile for 15 minutes, you will fall asleep.

Summary

Sleep is important for your physical and mental health. In case you have problems getting a good night’s rest, do not stress over your inability to fall asleep. This stress only encourages your body to stay awake. Practice the pointers given in this article and you will find that getting a good night’s rest is as easy as an apple pie.

Category: Sleep and Rest

Make Your Off Days Productive With Active Recovery