When people talk about exercising and getting great results, they often don’t often mention “rest.” But getting enough rest is really key to getting the results you want.

Rest is when the body repairs and strengthens itself. Every time you workout, you break down your muscles. If you don’t rest, they won’t rebuild and get stronger. If you don’t give your body enough rest, you may be hindering your own progress!

The reason I’m even thinking about “rest” right now is because I’m  going on vacation on Wednesday. Sometimes it takes a vacation to get me to take a few days off from working out/lifting. I don’t like not working out!

And I don’t mean that I won’t workout or be active over my vacation. I just mean I won’t lift weights. Rest doesn’t have to mean being a couch potato (even though that can be fun sometimes too!). Active rest can be just as effective if not more so at times.

Give your body a break from the usual grind. For me it means backing off the weights for more than a day or two. It means nice easy rides along the beach, paddle boarding and hikes. It means maybe doing only one crossfit outside in the California sun (mostly just because I love working up a sweat in the sun)!

So remember, working out super hard in the gym is only one piece of the puzzle. You also need to take some time off. If you aren’t seeing the results you want, take a look at how many days you’ve taken off recently. Lack of rest may be the issue!!