My Discovery of Active Rest
and my feelings on recovery from an active week on Labor Day weekend
It’s the middle of Labor Day weekend! I hope you’re enjoying it. Hopefully, you’re taking a break and possibly even resting.
A three-day weekend still feels like a big deal. My daughter and I planned a morning trip to get a breakfast burrito and take a hike in Marin county.
One of the big things to hit me when I get outside any city is the immediate smell of the natural surroundings. In this case, the ocean mists and dry baking of shrubs and soil in the open areas of the Bay Area smell herby, earthy and vegetal. Going close to the forests of Redwoods is pleasant and fresher whiff of wild woody warmth. I haven’t been to the French countryside, is it close to the description of garrigue but without the lavender? It’s definitely unique.
We pulled out at a trailhead along the Panoramic highway, and aimed for an easy but peaceful 2-3 mile hike. It definitely wasn’t strenuous, as it was half exercise, half mental clarity.
That’s when I heard the guys behind us, coming up the path hot and loudly discussing their workout routines. One of the dudes said, “This is great, I really needed a day of active rest!”
This led to my 15 minutes of research on a search engine on what active rest is. Well, if you’re someone that really takes their workout routine to a routine level that my more casual self is trying to step up, a typical workout is 5-6 days a week of pushing yourself. Then with active rest it’s about taking things down a notch. Move around gently, via a walk or slow hike. Kind of like when a dance teacher tells you to keep moving but not sit down because your body will just kind of say *enough* and not keep going. It’s a rest day, but not a day of inactivity.
Now, on the flip side we could call this kind of activity, oh I don’t know something like mindful exertion. Or joyful training; moderate exercise determined in transit (MEDIT!). There’s always a new way to say something. It’s kind of like a Sunday drive but for workouts.
I couldn’t get the phrase active rest out of my head this afternoon. What does that mean to you, what does that mean for me?