Rest Days: Why do they hate me?

Smelph

Barefooters
Nov 5, 2010
597
15
18
Lately I've been taking extra time off between runs to try to kick some lingering soreness in my right foot. I think I'm on the downside of it, as it appears to be getting better, but it's raised concerns about rest days for me. Namely, why do they hate me?

Our hero contemplates the importance of "rest days" and the dangers of taking the name too literally over at BarefootRoot.

Do rest days hate anyone else or is it just me? I wouldn't mind writing a follow up down the road (especially if I can crack the code of what I can do on rest days that I can enjoy) and would value everyone's opinion on the matter :)
 
I agree.   You need to find

I agree. You need to find another fun hobby. Though I find that almost all other hobbies are more equipment-intensive and time-intensive. Like one of mine, horseback riding.



Oh, another possibly simpler one that I discovered lately - barefoot trail hiking. If you want to to go barefoot on trails, it takes developing some different skills, and you need to start slow to do it.
 
Smelph, when was the last

Smelph, when was the last time you went swimming? A 15 minute dip in the water can do wonders for sore muscles and joints. Try floating on your back and relax...
 
I am getting my fitness up

I am getting my fitness up for a 4 day rowing event. So I have been doing interval running most days. Usually I have have a rest day every other day and bike or do weight training. I miss the running but think of it this way now..



Barefoot Run (Stimulus) + Rest Day (Rebuilding) = Better, stronger, faster, lighter, happier Barefoot Runner
 
Smelph, on your blog you

Smelph, on your blog you wrote..

Smelph said:
The key, I think, is finding a physical activity for rest days I can enjoy as much as running. I have found a few things I can occasionally suffer through (stationary bike in particular), but if I ever want to improve my mood or support my weight loss on those days I need to find something I enjoy as much as running, but I haven't found it yet.

You might want to consider brazilian jiu jitsu or another form of grappling. In barefoot running, you learn to sense what your body is doing mostly through your feet. In BJJ, the input is much more complicated and fascinating, because you are sensing contact and balance via your entire body.

I found combining running with BJJ worked better for me than combining running with cross training with kettle bells and such. BJJ can be light on your body (using skill instead of muscle is part of the art).

Just one possibility anyway..
 
Great ideas everybody!I

Great ideas everybody!

I don't remember that last time I actually went swimming (that wasn't just playing with the kids anyway)! I've read about crossfit before but never really considered it, so maybe I should. ;) I'll have to look into BJJ too, as martial arts seem to help balance a lot, and that's something I could still use a lot of work on :)

There is always the fall back to the bike and free weights we have around the house if worse comes to worse, but obviously I have a hard time getting motivated for that haha! Maybe if I had an actual bike instead of a stationary it might be easier to go ride. ;)
 
Rest day?  Yeah...now what is

Rest day? Yeah...now what is that, exactly? LOL!

If you belong to a gym, there is rock climbing, pick up basketball or volleyball, racquetball, spin classes, zumba, kick box aerobics and mixed martial arts. Most also have a group training program starting at varrying levels, which keep it fun through being social. Lifetime has indoor triathalon competitions, which sound so fun!!

For home programs, I like the muscle confusion stuff, EXPECIALLY if you've hit a wall and trying to loose weight. Nothing beats muscle confusion of melting lbs! P90X, Insanity, Turbo Fire, etc. I dig P90X, Insanity is brutal, but fun and Turbo Fire is like Insanity, but with hot women and better music in the videos! ;o)

If you're into sports, that's a good way to stay fit while you have fun! LOVE Indoor Soccer! If you don't, then you can pick one up, and you don't even have to be good! Racquetball is actually a better workout when you suck! Same with Tennis.

I hear cross fit is a good workout, but I'm not really down with combining my lifting with bingo. I'm going for a specific shape, so my lifting has a plan. That's not to say you can't get a good workout. My wife is actually doing it this month and it's kicking her butt! (My lifting days are already rediculously intense and not willy nilly pulled out of a hopper.)

I'm a big fan of swimming. I like to ripping it with hand paddles on and just let your legs go dead, triathalon style (save the legs for the bike and the run.) and then you can break out the swim fins and trash your legs using muscles you don't normally by arching your back, or going backwards and dropping your butt down.

Hm...that doesn't really sound like a "rest" day, but then again, there are studies showing "recovery" exercises using pre-exausted muscles yeild gains in strength and endurance.

Every couple weeks, I get a half a day or a day to just sit and chill...seems like enough for me.

-Jonny
 
Jonny you always crack me

Jonny you always crack me up!

We have a lot of good ideas here and I bet they all have their benefits. Wish I could try them all! Here's the big catch (and why I haven't tried much): I can't afford to go to a gym and the only time I have open for my workouts is from 4:30-6:00AM! ;)

One thing I hadn't really considered until sports were mentioned is that I have some roller hockey skates sitting in my closet from a few years ago (with my luck my feet have grown too wide for them!), so maybe some skating would be in order. Biking would be a decent option if I got my hands on a bike (I like the idea tha running is travel and not exercise and biking could be considered the same thing). I also really want to learn tai chi, so I might need to take a class since the video doesn't seem to be working for me. ;)

I love the idea of swimming, but I don't have access to a pool and the nearby lakes are less than appealing for swimming.

Anyway, sound like it's time to experiment with some things!
 
Hm...do any of your neighbors

Hm...do any of your neighbors have pools? Are they awake from 4:30-6am?? ;o) Get your Ninja Swim on!! You just need some black tights and a snorkle!

Craigslist.com, Bro...you can get a nice weight set for $50 +/-...some times free! It's amazing what you can do with a bench, a chin up bar and a set of dumb bells. Garage sales are great too!! I love that we are a country of lazy impulse buyers...the lazies buy a treadmill or the latest gadget thinking, "THIS will motivate me to loose the weight!", and it sits in the corner till they sell it or just get rid of it!

-Jonny