Rest: It’s part of the recovery programme
Rest! We all need quiet time in addition to sleep because our body and mind require quiet time during the day to repair and re-energize itself.
In the modern-day, there is a lack of quiet time in most of our lives. We spend all day busy, with our minds racing at 100mph. We get home from work or school, make dinner, train or coach, and maybe, if your lucky, get some time to watch TV. Then, you go to bed, but this could be disrupted by many things; getting up for the toilet, neighbours are playing loud music, dogs barking, or maybe it is pain from an injury disrupting your sleep.
So in addition to physical conditioning and getting the right nutrition, rest and recovery, including sleep plays a major role in athletic performance and competitive results. Both the amount of sleep and the quality of sleep you get is important. REM sleep, in particular, provides energy to both the brain and the body. If sleep is cut short, or you have poor quality sleep, the body doesn’t have the chance to repair, things like memory are not consolidated and stress hormones can raise.
Studies have shown that for athletes, poor rest, recovery, and sleep can have a detrimental effect on:
- cardiovascular performance
- retaining tactical information from training
- in-game decision making
- perception of effort
- energy levels
- mood
- mindset for competition
- recovery post-training and games
If you think your sleep is poor, use our sleep resources below. I also thoroughly recommend reading the book Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker.
Whilst sleep is the main type of rest, other forms of reducing load are valuable as well. Each of these contributes to your general recovery so that you are recharged and ready to go come game time. The 3 types of rest are:
Total Rest
Active Rest
Passive Rest
Total Rest
Total Rest is exactly what it says on the tin, taking complete total rest from all activities. As you can probably guess, the main way of getting total rest is with deep sleep. Likewise, you could include taking a day completely off from work, coaching and any other stresses; including working out and even playing basketball (I know, how dare I suggest such a thing). Even having a sofa day…yes, a sofa day is allowed every now and then! Total rest is the very foundation of the recovery and repair cycles.
If we never get total rest or if we don’t get our full quota of physical recovery (sleep) each night, our bodies over time will start to breakdown. A lack of sleep and full recovery can lead to:
- a loss of muscle mass
- increased body fat
- lethargy
- incomplete recovery from exercise
- loss of performance
- a lowered immune system
- joint aches
- gut problems
- anxiety
- cognitive problems
- and many more symptoms…
Active Rest
Active rest is fundamentally a reduction in workload. If you’re taking active rest, you’re still working towards your aims and goals, whatever they may be. The point is that you’re not working at them as intensely or as hard as you would be normally. While this may sound like a negative thing (especially as it is all too common to hear phrases in the gym like ‘go hard or go home!’), in truth, it can make you more efficient. By reducing the burden on yourself, you give your mind, nervous system and body the chance to re-energise itself. When you’re back at 100% of your workload, you’re re-focused and thinking more clearly. Similarly, If you’re finding that you’re struggling at work, school, in the gym or on the court but can’t afford to take time off, active rest could be your best bet to completing your goals.
Active rest at your work could be as simple as setting fewer goals for yourself during the day. You may consider reordering your workload to do tasks that don’t require as much effort, or you might only set two tasks for yourself to achieve during the day rather than three. In either case you’re still getting your work done, you’ve simply reduced your workload. You will then be more focused on other days and become more efficient. The only thing might be getting your boss on board.
If you are an athlete, training in the gym or training on the court, active rest days are days when the intensity of your training is typically about 60%. You are not pushing yourself as you do on your high-intensity training days or current personal best performance. Therefore, these days are excellent days to work on the technical aspects of your training as well; ball-handling or shooting only. This way you are still training/working out but reducing the stress on your body.
Programming your training blocks to include reduced activity/intensity days or recovery weeks, allows your body to adapt to the different stresses it is put through.
Passive Rest
Passive rest is a small break from the work tasks, goals or projects you’re currently involved in. In other words, it should completely divert your mind. This creates the space for your mind to re-focus. Even a short, 10-minute break can reduce the amount of stress you feel. There are all sorts of ways of achieving this downtime, including listening to music, a short quiet walk, reading and meditation/relaxation.
If these techniques do not appeal to you, there are many other ways to give your mind the rest it needs. For instance, just have a think about things you enjoy that will take your mind off what you’ve been working on.
If you’re an athlete, passive rest includes taking part in a completely different activity. For example, I often advise my patients/clients to swim, stretch, do yoga or go for a walk on passive rest days instead of balling or training in the gym. This helps rejuvenate their body and aids in both their recovery and performance.
If you take your work or sport/exercise seriously and you want to succeed, you must take your rest just as seriously. Rest allows you to operate to your full potential. It is definitely recommended that you plan your rest, just as you would plan any other appointment or aspect of your training. Your body will thank you for it and you’ll work and play more efficiently than before.
