Two Types of Rest Days

Three days on, 1 day off - a recipe for success!  But behind that 1 day off lies something that is no doubt a topic of discussion for many people.  You could just sit back and relax, maybe throw on a movie like Every Second Counts, and just get motivated for your next three day foray into beating the stuffing out of yourself or you can do an active rest day and do something you haven't tried or something that you regularly do - let's look at this a little further shall we . . . .


What can I/you do on an Active Rest Day?  These activities are by no means limited to rest days, we should strive to try new things all the time.  But today's focus brings us to a couple questions. 

How much time do you have and what get's your competitive juices flowing?  CrossFit recently started the CrossFit Sports Series, and I think I want to take a stab at things you can do on your own, whether the weather be hot or cold, inside or outside. . .

My favorite type of rest day:

The "Active" Rest Day

Walleyball?
Bouldering?
Hooverball?
CrossFit Dodgeball?

• Typical Dodgeball rules apply. A mandatory exercise will be assigned to each colored ball. If you are hit, this exercise must be completed before you can re-enter the game.

Warrior Dash?
Swimming/Biking/Running?
Golfing?

Are you a solo artist when it comes to sports - the individual events such as triathlons, marathons (pretty much all the -thons) or the adventure races such as Warrior Dash or Tough Mudder?  Maybe you ski/snowboard - surfing, wakeboarding, or waterskiing - it can be anything.

Or are you the kind of person that likes a group setting - walleyball, Hooverball or CrossFit Dodgeball?  Non-CrossFit activities like softball, kickball, basketball, volleyball, etc. are included as well.

If you go to a local community center (For example, in West Hartford on Tuesday nights, they have a group of people who show up to play Walleyball) or your local CrossFit Gym, they can host Hooverball or CrossFit Dodgeball.  Hooverball and CrossFit Dodgeball are both extremely competitive, combine CrossFit exercises, and make you laugh all at the same time.

My not so favorite type of rest day, the Non-Active Rest Day
          Caveat**Sometimes you just need this!**

The non-Active Rest Day allows you as the athlete to recover.  Let your body heal once in awhile.  Just sit back and relax, put the cucumbers on your eyes, get a babysitter, hire someone else to clean your house (I just keep my house clean, I have yet to hire someone), or find a local kid to mow your lawn/shovel your driveway.  Don't forget to drink plenty of water and stay away from the delicious Oreo cookies that someone in your house may have bought . . (this has happened before).

So plenty of things to do when resting from the intensity you bestow upon yourself - your body will tell you if you should have a active or a non-active rest day. 

Let's bring a little holiday spirit into play here with this post - since it is a rest day, enjoy a nice story:


A CHRISTMAS STORY
When four of Santa's elves got sick, the trainee elves did not produce toys as fast as the regular ones, and Santa began to feel the Pre-Christmas pressure.

Then Mrs. Claus told Santa her Mother was coming to visit, which stressed Santa even more.

When he went to harness the reindeer, he found that three of them were about to give birth and two others had jumped the fence and were out, Heaven knows where.

Then when he began to load the sleigh, one of the floorboards cracked, the toy bag fell to the ground and all the toys were scattered.

Frustrated, Santa went in the house for a cup of apple cider and a shot of rum. When he went to the cupboard, he discovered the elves had drunk all the cider and hidden the liquor.. In his frustration, he accidentally dropped the cider jug, and it broke into hundreds of little glass pieces all over the kitchen floor. He went to get the broom and found the mice had eaten all the straw off the end of the broom.

Just then the doorbell rang, and an irritated Santa marched to the door, yanked it open, and there stood a little angel with a great big Christmas tree.

The angel said very cheerfully, 'Merry Christmas, Santa. Isn't this a lovely day? I have a beautiful tree for you. Where would you like me to stick it?'

And thus began the tradition of the little angel on top of the Christmas tree.

Not a lot of people know this.


**I did not write that story - but it's kind of hysterical**

“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under the trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time”
                     -John Lubbock

- Coach Tony