Workout days in your exercise program are simple to follow: you just do the workout.

Then, on your rest days, you feel like a lost duckling.

Do you run on the treadmill?

Ormaybe do lighter weights?

A bike ride on a unicycle up a mountain sounds nice.

How about this: try actually letting your body rest.

Rest Is Often Misunderstood

Theres a reason rest days are intentionally woven into workout programs.

In fact, rest is necessary for progress.

Thats on top of training five to six days a week, sometimes twice a day.

Those are pretty stressful rest days.

Andthis tends to lead to more self-sabotaging behavior(binge-eating or falling off the fitness wagon completely).

Ideally, your fitness cycle should be: Work out, recover, profit, repeat.

But remember, youre (probably) not only exercising.

These will all impact your ability to recover from your workouts.

And lets not gloss over the fact that fitness is 50 percent physical and 50 percent mental.

Whew, I sure as hell could use a little brain vacation from exercise every now and then.

A little extra strenuous activity here and there isnt a big deal.

But by the time you really doneed that rest, it may be too late: youve burnt out.

If thats you, you dont have to stop entirely.

Besides, better mobility can translate to better performance in the gym, too.

Your rest days are the perfect opportunity tofit in light mobility and flexibilitywork.Yogaorfoam rollingcan be part of this regimen.

If its not important, dont do it at all.

Obviously, getting better at something is important.

If youre practicing a weightlifting move, I recommend using a broomstick in place of a barbell.

A lot of repetitions even with just the barbell could tire you out.

Do it only because you want to and its actually a way for you to feel relaxed.

Instead, you might spend a day preparing your meals on your rest day.

You shouldtake at least one day of restlike that.

More often than not, doingtoo much exercise is counterproductive.

So, take care of your body.

Thats why youre working out in the first place.

Illustration by Angelica Alzona.