(NO)Labor Day

First off, let me wish you all a very happy Labor Day holiday! 

 

Now, guess what I did on this Labor Day......nothing!  I did absolutely no labor on this Labor Day.  For those of you who know me, this is very rare.  Taking a day off never happens.  I usually make sure to get at least some sort of workout in seven days a week.  Working out is just what I do and it's how I normally start my days.  I'm sure most of you runners can relate.  Taking days off isn't something that comes easily or happily for us.  We spend so much time telling ourselves to get up, get running, train hard, make the most of our time, and push on.  Rest days seem to just go against our nature.

 

 

 

But this morning, when I woke up and started to get out of bed with the plan of making up for my stalled run yesterday (see previous blog entry), a thought occurred to me.  That thought was, "Skipping this run will not be the end of the world.  I will not lose my fitness level.  I will not get fat.  I will enjoy the day."  And, with that thought, I laid right back down and snuggled up to my husband and enjoyed every second of sleeping in on this holiday.

 

Today is probably a good day to talk about why rest days, even though the are hard for us, are so good for us. 

 

 

Rest days are good for us physically (allow for muscle healing, prevent injuries from overuse, etc.), but I want to talk about how good for us they are mentally.  Life is exhausting, we cram so much into so little time.  We are obsessed with striving for perfection.  We have to be everything to everyone and all wrapped in a pretty/fit/well dressed package.  It's too hard.  All of this trying to do and be everything is exhausting.  Look, I'm guilty of it more than anyone.  I know it's hard to turn off that voice in your head saying, "get going, you have to get it all done, and done perfectly."  That little voice brings me to tears more often than I would like to admit.  That little voice keeps me up at night and wakes me up before dawn most mornings. 

 

But, today on this No-Labor Day, I told that little voice to STFU. 

 

This is how I spent my self-awarded rest day: