"Weaponized" Rest

My friend and colleague Chris Cleary has this saying that the military buys "weapons", not "things", so you should always couch things in terms of "weapons". I feel much the same way about the concept of rest in a wellness portfolio.  Most of you executive types made it up the ladder because you worked long hours and sacrificed. I get that, because I did it, too. . But in doing so you likely completely abandoned the concept of rest.  There is a cliche' that use that goes "I'll rest when I'm dead".  Really? The truth is that if you work so hard that you don't get enough rest you're not working. You're either doing what you really like and it no longer feels like work, you've become obsessed with something, or you're avoiding life outside of work. In any of those three situations, rest can improve your situation by not only making you think more clearly, but also by giving you some perspective on things.

But I'll bet you that if you saw a different context you might do more of it, and do it strategically. If rest on the front page of the Harvard Business Review, or Fortune, or the WSJ, you might actually think about it. But because we perceive rest as non-productive time we also perceive it as inefficient. So why do it? The answer is because it works.

My answer to this conundrum is to completely redefine "rest" as "weaponized super-compensation". Sounds like something I could get published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, for sure, and maybe even a mention in Time or something. But it's just plain "rest".

Rest is one of those daily wellness investments that anyone can make. Just like drinking water and minding your posture. The majority of your recovery from training happens while you are sleeping, including muscle repair and cell re-hydration.  You are actually tallest each day when you first get out of bed because your vertebral disks are fully hydrated.

Where rest really is most effective is with the concept of super-compensation. When you train your body says "Boy, I need to get ready for the next time that happens" and by resting you allow your body to make those preparations and become stronger.  If you don't rest, your body will begin to say "Enough is enough" and your immune system will suffer, you will be fatigued, and you will lose enthusiasm for training, which will spiral quickly. Rest makes you more resilient, and the older you get the more difficult it is to achieve that resilience. Build rest into your programming and you'll immediately see improvement, especially in your resistance training.

"Weaponized rest" is not necessarily doing nothing, but it can be.  I would suggest three things:

1. Myofascial Release. The artist formerly known as "foam rolling". My pal Scott Herman has a very good intro video HERE
2. Melatonin.  This really helps with moving you off your worries and into some REM sleep. Visit GNC for Melatonin HERE
3. Overfeed Protein.  This is especially true at night. A cup of yogurt or cottage cheese right before bed will make improve the update of amino acids and speed your recovery. I personally like the Fage 0%. The best-tasting fat-free protein on the planet.

Thanks for your support and your comments. Get your rest - it's a weapon.

Stay well, my friends.