Are Rest Days Essential for Optimal Fitness Results? Charty's Perspective

Many moons ago when I was new to the fitness world, I never wanted to hear the dreaded R word. Recovery. Recovery felt like this negative thing in my mind- was I was supposed to sit around and let myself rot? I thought working out 7+ days in a row was healthy and what every athlete should do to maintain strength. I didn’t partake in rest days or any of the numerous recovery options around Boston. The thing with recovery though, is that it will find you even if you avoid it with everything in you. You know what they say, take a rest day or it’ll take you?

About a year later my knees and quads were screaming, and my spin instructor and friend, Madison told me that I needed to incorporate recovery. I couldn’t do 6 days of HIIT cardio and expect my body to show up and perform. This shed a whole new light onto my relationship with my body. How do I take care of it so that it performs to the best of its ability? I officially appointed Fridays as my rest day and tried to incorporate more cross-training and weightlifting. Some weeks I take two rest days and find that my body performs better when it isn’t struggling to recover from the previous day’s activities. Maddz also suggested physical therapy or a chiropractor for consistent tune ups for my body. I didn’t know where to start- but after some research, I ended up stumbling into Wellness in Motion in Brookline. I started PT with Danielle and got in the books with Dr. Emma Bruno- a chiropractic queen.

Okay PT was brutal. Having to do exercises while activating your core and glute muscles? Pass. I tried to yap most of the session so Danielle would forget why I was there. (K but that never worked). And alas, Danielle made it a dream despite my struggles. She eventually created her own practice, so I stopped going to PT. (Shhh don’t tell her I’m not doing my exercises at home) However, I do foam roll more than before. Foam rolling is a major PIA, but it really works I swear.

I continue to go to Emma for chiro work- she is the best of the best. And one of my favorite people. She treats my knees with stimming and cupping—cupping is such a life changing treatment. It helps with injury, tension, and overworked muscles. Emma also does dry needling for my TMJ, which has worked wonders for my jaw and neck pain symptoms. I swear by these practices to release tension and go to her at least twice a month. Emma knows exactly how to snap me back into shape- and will do ortho testing on me when I’m convinced that I’ve ripped my ACL!! Her advice and wisdom are so appreciated as well. We gossip about bearded men and how I should limit my running. Sometimes I think about listening to her! Emma also has her own brand/virtual exercise platform (move.emmabrunostudio.com) and it’s amazing. I’ll do the 20-30 min videos when I’m taking a rest day or want something lower impact. Please check it out!

Another favorite bestie of mine at WIM is Meg. Meghan Meade is a queen of all trades and the sweetest. I go to her for acupuncture monthly and it heals me. Whether it’s my kankles acting up, my gut and digestion, or quads just being tight, Meg’s got me. Meg will do cupping, acupuncture points, as well as press tacks to help tension at the end of treatments. She is wonderful at what she does and if nothing else, it’s just a time to relax and unwind from my busy life.

Something else I’ve factored in for recovery is cryotherapy. I got to Restore Hyper Wellness in Watertown for it on a monthly basis, and usually do 3 minutes, 3 fans, at -160 degrees Fahrenheit. I know I’m badass! It’s helpful with inflammation as well as zapping me back to baseline and sleeping well. I wish I did it more, but it’s amazing. I’ve also done Red Light Therapy, which is supposed to help with wrinkles, inflammation, pain management, and collagen building. Red light therapy is cool, but I never felt different after it. I’ve tried the sauna before as well, but never again will I sit naked on a bench in 110 degrees. Hard. Pass. (You guys know I was taking selfies in there!)

The best piece of recovery is that it can be completely tailored to what you need. Whether it's a low impact workout, cold plunge, or PT, figure what works for your body! I am biased and highly recommend chiropractic work in general as well as maybe cold plunges or cryotherapy. Recovery has changed the way I view my body and changed how I take care of it after/before work outs. If you don't have a consistent recovery practice yet, I encourage you to reflect on your self-care routines. Take care of yourself, and factor in something to make sure your body is in top shape to excel at a workout.

Kiss for us,

Charty