I was going to write this last week but got completely run down with a cold and so some things ended up taking a bit of a back seat – including my exercise routine.
The classic question I find myself Googling when I have a cold is: should I still exercise with x, y and z symptoms?
Ultimately, I always know the answer. If my body is telling me to slow down and can’t concentrate on simple tasks easily because of my cold, then it could probably do without the added stress of my usual exercise routine.
Yesterday was my first day back at the gym in 10 days and walking was my main form of movement while ill (as well as a little bit of gentle yoga here and there when I felt like I needed it but I really didn’t do much).
In the past I know I would have pushed through and not given myself enough time to recover, usually leading to being ill for longer or making my symptoms even worse.
I distinctly remember still turning up to do a ridiculously intense fitness class a few years ago when I felt awful, all because I didn’t want to miss out. Safe to say it made me feel even worse and I had a very rough time recovering. That phrase “you’ll never regret a workout” definitely did not apply here.
So as frustrating as it’s been to watch my partner go for his long, sunny runs while having to give them a miss (we’ve starting doing more together recently as the weather has been so lovely and I was just saying how much I was enjoying them!!), I feel quite proud of myself for honouring what my body needed the most: rest.
Rest is such an underrated but crucial health behaviour. Just like we need some form of movement in our lives, we need some form of rest.
As a society we need more rest. However, it’s not always easy to get enough when it’s so often considered ‘lazy’. Sometimes when you’re confronted with an illness, injury or burnout, you don’t realise how difficult it is to actually rest and not feel guilty about it!
If you feel this way, then you are definitely not alone.
The next time you choose to rest (in whatever form you prefer), can you give yourself complete permission to do it and can you be 100% present to fully enjoy it?
I can’t wait to curl up in a sunny spot in the garden later today and fully enjoy escaping into my book.