The Top Benefits of Rest for Your Health

Rest is one of the most underrated and undervalued aspects of fitness.  In order to be fit you need rest.  You can not get fit without rest.  Rest = Fit.  Engrave this in your mind if your goal has anything to do with being fit.

Okay, now that we have that notion in our minds, let’s explore why rest is so important, and why it is so undervalued in modern day society.

 

Why Be Fit?

This is obvious.  A fit person is a healthy person, and it is impossible to be healthy without getting enough rest.  Being fit and well-rested increases your life expectancy dramatically, as well as improves your day to day life by giving you more energy, which results in more drive to exercise and a more productive life overall.  Also, let’s not forget the aesthetic benefits of being fit.  Your waistline shrinks, you have more confidence and maybe a touch of vanity.  That’s all good!

How Rest Helps

Rest uses a lot more energy than you may think.  Although we are lying still and not performing any active mental functions, our body is doing a lot of work.  Sleep is anabolic, which means during periods of rest, our body is growing.  It uses nutrition we get from food to repair wounds, grow hair and nails and build muscle.  This is opposed to catabolic states where our body is breaking down such as during long periods of exercise.

Science has barely scratched the surface on why humans sleep, making rest a very complex area of study.  Sleep studies show that many things occur besides building muscles: our minds are refreshed, our hormones are balanced, our internal clock is restored.  Without rest we are more susceptible to injury (caused by clumsiness), stress and illness.  Our body physically breaks down if we can’t restore it with a good night’s sleep.

 

How is Rest Defined?

Resting involves both sleep and periods of leisure.  There are 5 stages of sleep, distinguished by the types of waves our brains send out. The 5th is REM sleep, or Rapid Eye Movement.  This is a very complex area of study, so we need not go into too much detail.  Just know that we have different levels of sleep, from light to very deep.

Rest can also be leisure.  Without periods of light rest throughout the day, our cortisol levels increase.  High cortisol = stress = not fit.  Light rest keeps you rejuvenated and alert which are important elements in being fit.

 

How Much Rest Do I Need to be Fit?

Ideally, you should get at least 8 hours of sleep.  If you can get 10, go for it. You want your body to build itself, and resting is the way to go.  However, most of us can’t rest 10 hours a day, let alone 8. With work, school, and family, our lives are overloaded and we can’t afford the amount of rest required to be as fit as we want.  So, here are a few practical tips to add more rest to your life.

First, understand the stages of your sleep.  During rest, your body cycles between what we’ll call stages 1-4 with 4 being the deepest.  It’s easy to wake up during stage 1 and hard to wake up during stage 4.  So, to get proper sleep to keep fit and energized, you should try to wake up during stage 1.  These occur at the following intervals: 30min, 1hr 30min, 3hrs, 3hrs 45min, 5hrs, 6hrs 30min, 8hrs, and 9-10hrs. 

 

So, if you can’t get 8 hours of sleep, try sleeping for at least 6hrs 30min to stay fit.  This way, you will have an optimum amount of energy without feeling lethargic or stressed in the morning.

 

Napping Makes You Fit

When was the last time you napped?  Most of us go back to memories of kindergarten where our teacher laid out pillows after lunch.  Well, let me tell you, a major key to being fit is napping.  Einstein and Thomas Edison both raved about napping, and look how productive they were during their lives.  Being fit includes having a fit mind as well as a fit body.  While rest helps you repair your body, it also increases your productivity. 

Ideally, you should nap around 2:30-3:00pm after your lunch is digested.  You should take either a 20-30 minute nap or a 1hr 30 minute nap so you wake up during the optimal time.

So, grab a blanket, drink some warm milk, and get working on your fitness!

 

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K.W.

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