Rest is just as important as regular exercise!

It seems as though we live in a society where we are expected to just go go go and run run run (Terms in which I am always hearing myself repeat during my sessions). Rest is considered indulgent, and most people I meet these days feel guilty at the thought of taking a minute just to do nothing. True?

 

Nowadays, we cannot just put our legs up and hope that someone else will do the work for us. Work, study  and school are non-negotiable and rest becomes this foreign concept, far out of the realms of the possible. I can almost hear you all shouting across the internet from your computer, “I have babies to feed! Bills to pay! A new job I need to perform in! A nagging child at my knee! A million things to do! How do you expect me to rest?  

I’m now telling you all to take  a moment in your life to rest and recuperate, it could do wonders for your day-to-day life. It will recharge your ability to deal with your commitments, your relationships and your overall health and wellbeing with MORE vigor and energy. 

It’s a worthwhile investment- the efficiency of a well-rested mind will make every area of your life more productive .

When you just go go go, without taking a minute, you are actually mentally and physically exhausting yourself. Remember, your mind and body are connected. 

 

More than that, studies show and have proven that sleep and rest are essential building blocks of the body and mind; you learn better if you take a nap after studying and retain more information long term. You will become stronger if you periodise your training (taking rest days, and easy weeks). 

 

Pushing your body into overdrive will manifest physically through tight neck and shoulders and usually digestive malfunctions such as gas, bloating, acid reflux and all the symptoms attendant on an imbalance of good and bad gut flora.

 

Did you know without rest you also can cause hormonal havoc in your body as cortisol and adrenalin are being pumped through your blood without you even knowing it; the boost of these hormones long term causes your body to have pure exhaustion and can often lead to a hormonal imbalance that can lead to some nasty complications such as depression, weight gain, chronic fatigue and fertility issues. 

And of course, this will accelerate the ageing process! Hello wrinkles!

If you don't rest you'll  end up with the worst version of your own self – stressed, tired, mentally slow and physically vulnerable. 

 

Please, try to take a moment, a few minutes out in your day – even a few minutes a week if daily practice is impossible. If even a minute a week is impossible, just take a moment in the month to REST. Put it in your calendar! Add it to that overflowing to-do list. Treat it like work or family commitments, because it is ESSENTIAL to life. 

Your body works so hard for you all day every day; treat it like your temple, and give it some time to replenish. You wouldn’t leave your car to run without a service! You even let your computer sleep! Treat yourself with even that level of respect.

 

When you take the time to sit and rest even for a few minutes a day, you are allowing your body on a cellular level to recharge itself. Having a simple bath or shower with a few diaphragmatic breaths can be enough to just re-infuse your inner light.

Remember rest is just as important as regular exercise!