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Friday and Saturday are always my babysitting days. I nanny all day (7:30 – 5:00) and while it is a pretty awesome job until just recently I end up spending most of the day stuck inside.

Finally, yesterday the little guy’s mom left me her jogging stroller so that we could go out and enjoy the beautiful 70 degree weather we have been having!

Jogging Stroller

I wish I could have taken it out for a jog, but my schedule called for a rest day so we stuck to walking.

Shorts Weather

I was really excited that it was warm enough for shorts again. The days of wearing 3 layers just to go and take the dog out are hopefully behind us!

As you can see the perks of taking care of a 5 month old is I pretty much get to wear running or comfortable clothes all day. It takes all of 2 minutes to get ready for work. I am actually a bit sad though. This is the last full weekend of caring for this little guy. I help them out part of the day next Friday and then his father finishes up school so he will take over. I’m gonna miss him!

 

I am slowly learning that rest days are just as important as my workouts. My legs thank me every week after Friday. This may seem obvious to some but I have not always been one to take rest days. In fact, I never used to take them.

Maybe I’m becoming wiser with age? HA!

 

Sometimes rest doesn’t mean that you have to sit all day and do nothing. There are days where that is what I want to do and then there are days where I prefer “active rest.”

Here are a few ideas of things to do on your rest day:

Walk 

Walking can be so therapeutic and is great to help walk off some of that lactic acid build up in your legs. Go out with friends, your dog, your spouse and just enjoy the day. There is no pressure which makes it relaxing and will make you feel better!

 

Core

I have been on the look out for a 20-30 minute core routine that I can do on my rest days. I have tried out a few different ones but am still searching. Even on your rest days focusing on even 10-15 minutes of core work is always a good idea. A stronger core means a stronger runner!

 

Yoga

I wish so badly I could get back into yoga. I used to do it specifically to focus on stretching, but honestly I am not a big fan of the yoga teacher at our gym and I have been putting off finding a new one.  Hopefully once we move I will have better luck and can get back into it.  Yoga is great to release stress and to work on your flexibility! Another key component to staying healthy.

 

Strength Training

If you don’t do a lot of strength training your rest day from running might be a great time to get it in. I do 2-3 days throughout the week so I don’t normally hit the weights on rest days, but there are many perks to it! Often when you weight train and run during the week it can leave you pretty tired.  Strength training on your day off can allow you to have more energy.

I wouldn’t suggest going all out on a rest day, but it won’t hurt to focus on some lower body or upper body muscle groups.

 

Sleep

Sleep? What is that?! Amazingly enough sleep can really help for your body to repair itself. Instead of getting up at the crack of dawn for your morning run let yourself sleep in and let your body recover. You will be amazed what it can do!

 

Stretch

 

Stretch and foam roll on rest days. Even if you are feeling better you still want to keep your muscles loose. Try 15-20 minutes of stretching in the morning and again before bed even on your rest day. I think this really helps me in the long run.

 

Rest

What? Yep! If you are really worn out and don’t feel like doing anything – then don’t! I usually like to play rest days by ear and see how I feel or what my schedule allows. Don’t feel like you have to do something, if you take an entire day and just relax then that is just as good for your body as anything else!

 

Do you prefer full on rest days or active rest days?.

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