When you’re trying to get in shape, you might be tempted to spend your entire week working out to reach your health goals faster. However, rest days are just the thing you need to allow your body and mind to recover, rest, and come back even stronger. True enough, Nulticfood shares that rest days can prevent injuries, promote better sleep, and even stave off mental fatigue. Of course, rest days don’t mean you get a pass to lay down all day and stuff your body with junk food. Below, we outline some proper ways to nourish yourself during this time.

Eat enough protein

If you work out a lot or lead an active lifestyle, then this tip is especially important for you. On US News’ article on post-workout protein, researcher Oliver Witard notes that your muscle’s ability to utilize protein is elevated 24-hours after a heavy workout. Take the next day off and eat enough protein to help your body recover. The best way to do this is to include protein-rich ingredients such as seafood, beans, and eggs into your day’s meal plan. Alternatively, you can also snack on bite-sized protein foods like cheese, seeds, and Greek yoghurt.

Meditate

After a long week, sometimes it helps to have one day to get rid of any negative feelings and nourish your mind, too. For this reason, meditation is a powerful tool. Find a safe space in your house, whether it’s your bedroom or your porch, and dedicate a couple of minutes to closing your eyes and focusing on your breathing. According to an article on The Manual, meditation helps curb stress, sort through emotions, and boost your mood. It can even help you sleep better at night, which is always a significant plus.

Go on a cleanse

If you’ve been feeling particularly sluggish or heavy all week, perhaps a cleanse on your rest day will do you good. Trainers from Tribal Fit inform us that your body is always expelling toxins from its systems. Once it gets too much, your systems start working slower—making you more susceptible to fatigue, colds, and other diseases. This is why it helps
to go on a whole-day detox. Of course, the effect of detoxes can vary from person to person. If you’re new to it, you may want to avoid going on a hard juice cleanse right away, as this can shock your body. One easy way you can get into it is through supplements. On Pretty Me’s review, writer Sheena Dizon notes that it’s generally best to opt for organic ingredients instead of chemicals, so you lessen the chance of side effects. Some examples include psyllium husk, green tea extract, and ginseng—all safe ingredients that have been loved and used for years. It also helps if you consume a lot of water, as this will help your body flush out the toxins.

Snack healthily

It can be quite tempting to lay down and binge on your favorite snacks all day. But no matter how relaxed this makes you feel in the short-term, your body pays the price. If you do plan on lounging around, prepare some healthy snacks beforehand so you have no excuse. We’ve gathered some of our favorite recipes in a previous post entitled ‘10 Healthy Snacks Under 200 Calories’ to help you decide. For instance, wheat crackers are good if you’re looking for that crunch, while a muffin should be more than enough to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Rest days need to be planned out, from what you eat to what activities you plan on doing. Consider carefully what your body needs, and let that serve as a guide for you

Post written by Octavia Baker for sleektechnique.com