We’ve all heard the mantra: “No pain, no gain.” But what if we told you that sometimes, embracing a bit of laziness could be the secret sauce to leveling up your fitness game? Intrigued? Let’s dive in!
Table of Contents
The science of lazy gains
Contrary to the high-intensity hype, incorporating moments of ease into your workouts can lead to some surprising benefits. From improved muscle recovery to avoiding burnout, laziness might just be the missing ingredient for a sustainable fitness routine. To top it off, taking some moments of ease during your workout can help you be more mindful, increase your focus, and make sure your form is top notch. When it comes to form, it’s always quality over quantity 💪
The power of rest
Taking it easy doesn’t mean slacking off; it means recognizing the importance of intentional rest. Embracing your inner laziness during rest days is actually a more reasonable and beneficial way to improve your fitness long term, here’s why:
- Muscle repair and growth: Muscles are a bit like paper, so to speak 😂. After every exercise (especially strength training), our muscles undergo these teensy tiny, microscopic tears that even our leading scientists at New Alice Springs can’t see. There are these specialized cells called fibroblasts that repair our muscles when we rest which gives you increased muscle mass and strength 💪
- Prevention of overtraining: Even the finest, most robust machines in the Dustland need time to cool down. That means your body does too! If you overtrain, there’s higher risk that you won’t see good long-term progress
- Energy restoration: Let’s get acquainted with glycogen. This is basically how your body stores excess glucose for storage (just in case 😉). If you exercise too much without any rest, your body won’t have enough time to stock up on glycogen and you increase the risk of muscle breakdown
- Optimal hormonal balance: Hormones are a tricky thing to get right, that’s why rest is important! Growth hormones and testosterone plays an important role for your muscle growth and repair. Getting enough rest goes a long way to ensure proper functioning of these hormones
Practical tips
- Active Recovery Days: Schedule days dedicated to active recovery to allow your body to reset.
- Low-Impact Alternatives: Swap high-impact exercises for gentler options to give your joints a break.
- Listen to Your Body: Pay attention to what your body needs, and don’t hesitate to dial down the intensity when necessary.
James is the resident expert on fitness and move to earn. He’s been involved with Dustland Runner as a community manager since the beginning.