Rest days are so important! Boring, yes, I’m fully aware, but I speak from experience when I tell you that having a rest day is as important as all the conditioning and training you put your heart and soul into on a daily basis.
So, what do we consider a rest day?
A rest day plain and simple is what it says on the tin … an entire day of rest.
No, this does not include yoga or a long walk, these are still forms of exercise and whilst a rest day may come easily to some, others find it hard to hit the pause button.
This is because we, as a circus community are so passionate and dedicated to achieving our goals that we see this rest in a negative light as SLACKING! So we overwork, we overtrain, we get ill and we continue to train through this perceived period of weakness until we burn out!
The benefits of rest aren’t just purely for muscle recovery; they encompass a variety of factors contributing to your overall well being. The World Health Organisation defines health as:
‘a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being’
So, what can you do to optimise your rest days and boost your health?
Sleep is a large factor to an individuals well being.
Studies have found that sleep deprivation has a negative impact upon numerous biological and neural functions including:
- Reduced concentration
- Depression of the immune system
- Impaired creativity and planning skills
- Increased sensitivity to pain
- Increase risk of injury
It has been found that as little as 1.5 hours of sleep deprivation per day (recommendations are for a typical 8 hours) can impact you performance by as much as 26%. So catching up on those zzz’s can be a huge benefit to your rest days.
The body reacts to stressful situations by a ‘fight or flight’ mechanism – which was beneficial thousands of years ago whilst dealing with dinosaur attacks. Although now a day, we don’t have to deal with these intense threats, the body reacts in the same way.
In our modern society, we live in a state of high arousal (stress)
This is a result of challenging work-personal-family life balance, obsession with competition and the desire to be perfect (instagram definitely hasn’t helped these idealistic expectations of life).
When it comes to thinking about how stress affects performance it is important to mention that not all stress is bad. If you weren’t a little stressed when you perform you wouldn’t be able to full off that desired move at the end of your routine when already exhausted.
BUT
If your body is in a constant state of flight, high levels of cortisol and Adrenalin will build up, causing you to feel increasingly fatigued, sore, achy and unable to perform to your highest potential.
Not only this but the high levels of cortisol can physically block other useful hormones such as dopamine(which aids with happiness), lower your metabolism and can even slow down your fat burning rate causing weight gain.
So, do something for yourself to decrease that stress, whether that is cooking your favourite meal, having a hot soak in the bath, getting your hair re-touched or my personal favourite is mindfulness, which is a form of meditation.
Try using an app such as headspace of calm for a great experience of mindfulness.
Images from Shezlong Magazine and Adobe Stock Images
Image from Unsplash
We all know how vital a balanced diet is to optimal performance, yet we neglect our nutritional intake often.
But how detrimental can a lack of nutrients actually be
Did you also know that not getting enough protein in your diet not only affects muscle recovery, but, can cause additional problems such as a weakened immune system and lack of energy?
Finally, were you aware that if you’re trying to aid with nutritional protein deficit and hate protein shakes, chocolate milk is as, if not more effective. Tasty.
References:
– Sleep and the elite athlete (2015) Shona L. Halson, PhD. https://www.gssiweb.org/en-ca/Article/see-113-sleep-and-the-elite athlete
– Effects of sleep deprivation on neural functioning: an integrative review. T.W.Boonstra, J.F.Stins and P.J. Beek. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles
– Stress: a social issue (2018) https://www.brunet.ca/en/advices/stress-a-social-issue.html
– Dehydration and it’s effects on performance by Asker Jeukendrup and Michael Gleason
– Feeling the pressure of social media – https://blog.shezlong.com/en/feeling-the-pressure-how-social-media-is-affecting-our-mental-health/
– Baking picture – Image by UnsplashtP-DeABI?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditShareLink”>https://unsplash.com/photos/htP-DeABI?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditShareLink
– Stress Response Image (obtained using free trial) Image from Shezlong Magazine https://stock.adobe.com/uk/images/stress-response-system-vector-illustration-diagram-nerve-impulses-scheme/193573261
– Chocolate milk picture Image by UnsplashVbbKNDMSo?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditShareLink”>https://unsplash.com/photos/XVbbKNDMSo?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditShareLink
– I love training Image – Image by Meme Generator
https://memegenerator.net/instance/756/elf-tornado-i-love-training-trainings-my-favorite”
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