RESTED

Rest and I have a confusing relationship.
I’m not alone though because most people raised in city environments hear the same things…

“You can sleep when you are dead.”

This nonsense permeates the cultures I have lived in my whole life.
What they don’t tell you is that if you don’t get your sleep your death will come faster and with more pain.

AND YET!

I still have a massive struggle telling myself today is a good rest day. I woke up the morning of writing this post with this question in my head.

Should I rest today?
To answer such a question I go through a check list…

Am I too sore?
Yes

Could the soreness lead to injury?
Possibly due to the stiffness in my lower back which can lead to some strain if not careful. It has happened several times in the past. 

What is my ego saying?
We look weak when we rest.

What is resting?
Today I have a full days work so rest is relative term that means no workout is added. Work is a constant.

How was your sleep?
Got decent recovery and woke up very stiff.

What can be done today if not fitness that can benefit the next workout if skipped today?
Using my TimTam / stretching after work and before bed.

Am I missing any days of my fitness program?
Not missing any main days by taking a rest today. Today would have been a bonus fitness day.

Based on these questions I ask myself it would seem a tactical rest is permitted. Yet I still feel like a b@tch for the rest.

My father would say what I am experiencing is being filled with “piss and vinegar.’ He means by this that while in my 20s a man is all pent up all the time.

This “piss and vinegar” is the same substance that brings some dumb men to think…

“Dick sucks ain’t cheating.” – Your Mom’s House Podcast

So with that in mind I do my best to ignore most of what my ego says.

The real enemy I am dealing with is my internal governor. Your governor is the part of you that stops you short to preserve your health. Just like how a vehicle may be able to go 130mph its governor doesn’t allow going past 80mph. 

“Thats how your governor works…. it massages your ego even as it stops you short of your goals.” – David Goggins

What David Goggins is speaking about is when you slow down when you are close to the finish instead of sprinting through, your governor is trying to preserve your well being and will tell your ego “we have done enough,” to get you to stop.

In regulating if your governor is right I like to use a few tools. 

Tool One: Live Autopsy 

This is a tool of David Goggins’ where you do a scan of your body mentally to find any issues that may be there. From this assessment you can see which systems are compromised or weak to dictate if the next action is warranted. 

Tool Two: Questions

Like I did above; asking questions is powerful. I treat myself like I am in an interview. I want to ask a lot of powerful questions to find the right answer. 

With these two tools I can trust I am finding the right answer.

I am also aware that with this decision the next two days must be days of exercise. If I use the rest today then there will be none the next two days.

This is important because now that I know I am not missing the next two days my hours of sleep must be kept and I should do major stretching today after work.

Trust yourself, but also don’t feed yourself bullsh@t.