What counts as a rest day? Sitting on your bum doing nothing, a short steady run, or a gentle workout at the gym?

I’ve had a busy week running wise. I had Parkrun on Saturday, followed by a 10 miler in stupid winds and on Monday I went to running club and did a strong 9k.

So as I ran to the gym on Tuesday morning, it was no surprise that my legs were in agony! It was only a 1.3 mile run down, but it felt like a half marathon.

With my week off work, I forgot about one important thing… a rest! I’d been so focused about how I’ll be able to fit more exercise in.

I don’t usually let it get to this stage and if I ever do feel a bit off, I swap my rest days around. Your body has a good way of reminding you, and it’s important to never ignore the signs!

What I do for a rest day

For rest days I like to mix things up. If I’m in meetings at work all day, I make sure to head out for a walk and foam roll in the evening.

If I’m feeling pretty good I do a short 30 minute bodyweight workout to get things moving, I also have some resistance bands which are great!

I also like to try new things, and for the past few weeks, I have given meditation a go. I find it’s nice to focus your mind elsewhere for half an hour, to forget day to day stresses.

Rest days are so so important for recovery, but us runners sometimes forget when training is going so well!

What do you like to do on your rest day?