Week Five | Theme: Active Rest
No matter how dedicated you are to crushing it at the gym, some days you wake up and just need some rest. Despite sore muscles and stiff limbs, many of us skimp on rest and recovery days - but they’re crucial to our progress and to maintaining the mental and physical balance that keeps an active lifestyle fun.
Experts suggest that in addition to maintaining an active workout schedule most people need at least one active recovery day and one full-on rest day per week.
Active recovery - or active rest - means that instead of couching-it all day, you’ll do specific things to maximize your body’s repair after days of hard work. Active recovery days support the work you do in the gym, help balance your hormones and mental state, and reboot your central nervous system.
This week, we'll work to understand how recovery periods can help you move forward with your goals and learn why building in active rest days is going to be so beneficial to your workouts!
Foam Rolling on YMCA360 Importance of Rest Active Rest Day Checklist
Workouts
See below for a downloadable PDF of this week's programmed workouts - including an upper body workout, a lower body workout, Tabata HIIT, and more!
Recipes
Click the button below for downloadable versions of this week's recipes - Chipotle Roasted Chickpeas and Mediterranean Quinoa Salad!
YMCA360 | Week Five
Can't make it to the gym? Check out some virtual options below!
Athletic MobilityFull-Body Stretch RoutineAdvanced Mobility & Recovery
Non-Traditional Exercise
We all know that exercise is good for us, but some days a visit to the gym feels like a chore - that's where non-traditional exercise comes in!
Engaging in non-traditional exercise can make you more likely to stick to your routine, meet your health goals, and have fun while doing it. In this video, Coach Katelyn will talk about different ways to get non-traditional exercise - and the benefits of taking your workout outdoors!