1. Take extra rest days even when you feel great and think you don’t need them. Try taking off at least 5-7 days of training if you are feeling the effects of overtraining. Communicate with your coach, training partner, or friends about how you feel physically, psychologically, and emotionally.

2. Eat high quality, grassfed fresh, organic meals and include more colorful vegetables in your diet. Aim to remove foods that lead to inflammation and gastrointestinal upset.

10 Steps to Rest and Recovery

1. Take extra rest days even when you feel great and think you don’t need them. Try taking off at least 5-7 days of training if you are feeling the effects of overtraining. Communicate with your coach, training partner, or friends about how you feel physically, psychologically, and emotionally.

2. Eat high quality, grassfed fresh, organic meals and include more colorful vegetables in your diet. Aim to remove foods that lead to inflammation and gastrointestinal upset.

3. Massage by a professional/partner or try self-myofascial release and active release techniques; including foam rolling, lacrosse/tennis ball massage, or any other massage tool.

4. Yoga. Yoga. Yoga. We cannot recommend this enough. If you do not currently have a yoga practice, try yoga during this time. Yoga is an amazing complement to sports, athletic training, weightlifting, and Crossfit.

5. Plan Ahead. If you do not have a coach or mentor to help you plan your workout cycles, sit down and make a plan for yourself that include rest cycles. Make sure you are not going hard, heavy, and fast 7 days per week. You can also follow Breaking Muscle’s free online daily workout of the day that programs in rest days.

6. Ice and heat. Use as needed when you are dealing with injuries, overuse, and strains.

7. Breathe. You can easily de-stress yourself and clear your mind through through deep breathing techniques and meditation.

8. Sleep. Get your sleep cycle in check. Make sure you are getting enough sleep each night in a dark and noise free environment.

9. De-stress your life. Examine any negative psychological factors related to work, financial stress, and relationships.

10. Read More. While you are taking time off to rest pick up a good book and dive into a new world.

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