Hi Fusers!

Here is Part 2 of Beverly's "Take a Rest" series. Check out Part 1 if you missed it. Enjoy!

The Benefits of Rest

What is the upside of a day or two off? One of the most important benefits of a rest day is that your body is able to  adapt to the level of stress it is experiencing. Your muscles grow when you rest.  Also, if you are more rested, you will be more focused and able to enjoy your day-to-day life.

Plus, with a rest day in place, you now have an hour or two to do something fun. A day off will leave you with energy to enjoy the other important aspects of life.

On Your Day of Rest

On your rest day do not cross-train.  Get a massage, do some light stretching or walking, just to fend off lethargy. Keep your heart rate down and your muscles relaxed.

Needing a Longer Break

If you have answered yes to a few questions listed in Part 1 of the series, you might consider easing up for a couple weeks along with taking a day or two of rest. Easing up means giving only 60 to 70% effort to your workout, using lighter weights and/or exercising for less time.

Do not worry that backing off or taking a day or two off will derail your fitness. According to American Council on Exercise, depending on your level of fitness it takes weeks before your cardiovascular fitness and muscle strength will significantly decline. The energy you gain from a rest will help you meet and maybe even exceed your goals.

What's your favorite way to unwind, relax and restore?

Yours in Health,

The Fuse Fitness

Hi friends :) Hope you're all having a great weekend. It's soooo nice outside, crazy how we really get our summer weather in the fall. What fun things have you been up to this weekend?

Yesterday we went to the Halloween store and picked up some supplies for the Halloween party we're having for Ava and 7(!) of her girlfriends next Sunday. Some things to decorate and spook up the house a bit. She's really excited and it should be a lot of fun. I'm sure things will get a little crazy having 8 10-year-olds over :)

Last night Doug and I went to a Halloween party. Our friends always have their Halloween party the weekend before Halloween, which is smart, because there's always so much going on on Halloween weekend. It was so much fun and there were so many awesome costumes! I dressed up as Raggedy Ann....

Pretty funny, huh? Someone actually told me that my "hair" looked really good, like it could be real. I was like, "Um, it's red yarn...." One of those awkward/funny moments where someone you don't really know at a party tries to make conversation and says something pretty silly.

Anyway, just wanted to say hi and see what everyone was up to this weekend. I'm not quite sure what we're going to end up doing today....right now Doug and I are "watching" football (he's watching, I'm "watching") and drinking a cold beer....enjoying my rest day. After 9 hard workouts this week, it's nice to have a day off :) And on super warm days like this, an ice cold beer never tasted so good.

Yours in Health,

Kristin @ The Fuse Fitness, www.thefusefitnessstudio.com