I looked at my workout tracker yesterday and realized that I haven’t missed a day of exercise yet this year. While that’s great, it is important to recognize the importance of rest. Sure I don’t do long workouts, and I usually focus on a single muscle group after cardio, so my muscles do tend to get rest days in, (other than my legs for cardio). But there is something to be said about the value of a full rest day.

It’s a busy week and I’m getting up an hour later than usual. Today I give myself permission to take a well deserved rest day. And I need to remind myself not to wait this long to do it again. It’s easy to forget to take a day off when you’ve built a daily exercise habit. Instead of feeling like an important thing to do, it feels like cheating.

There is something really psychologically sound about internationally taking a full rest day. It’s medicine for the soul. There is a significant difference between choosing a rest day and slacking off; between being lazy and choosing to take a healthy break. But the framing of it (like o just did) is important. Because if I feel like I’m just slacking off then it feels more like a cop out than an important and valuable break.

It feels good to have such a healthy routine that I actually have to remind myself to take a break. That’s such an empowered frame of reference compared to having to convince myself to workout. And I know with full conviction that I’ll work out tomorrow. After all it has been over a year since I missed two days in a row.

But today I rest.