The Benefit of a Day Off
Posted on April 19, 2013 by Rachel Carter, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.
How to balance life and the desire to always be the best we can.
With my latest goal of being “good enough,” I have found the freedom to pursue my goals without the pressure. Without having timelines or defined obligations to meet, I find that I still try to get everything done; I just don’t feel as stressed out about it.
Perfect example: yesterday at the gym, I had an off day. All of you who work out know what I mean by this. I got in the car, and halfway down the block, I realized I had left my glasses at home. Not only that, but I had no coffee for the five minute drive. I know it seems like that cannot affect me much, but it did, a lot!
I hit the treadmill and had a hard time ramping up the speed, so I set it to a hill workout where I had to climb a series of hills so that I could still get a good workout while not pushing my speed. After that, I was exhausted, and didn’t feel like lifting weights at all, which I usually do after cardio. So I went home and got ready for work with plenty of time to not feel rushed.
Today I went to the gym and had one of the best workouts ever! I ran faster than normal, lifted harder than normal, and it felt great! Letting yourself have an off day can actually be a benefit. Your body needs an easy workout every now and then so that you can have great workouts later. If you never give yourself a break, you are not able to keep up with life.
This applies to us mentally as well. Letting a basket of laundry sit on my bedroom floor, without letting it drive me crazy because it’s not finished, allows me to get it put away a little at a time and not get worn out by getting it all put away as quickly and efficiently as possible. I know that laundry sounds like a small thing, but to those of us with limited energy that still try to do it all; it is not a little thing. It is a great place to start changing habits without having any negative effects.
