Rest is seriously underrated in our modern lives.
We get so run down, squeezing more and more into our precious ‘down time’, that when we do get a chance to rest, exercise can seem like a bridge too far.
And sometimes it is.
I’ve become pretty good at listening to my body since experiencing my life-altering burnout in 2017, and when my tinana tells me to stop, I ignore it at my peril!
But you know what happens when we rest TOO much and stop moving?
We start to hurt. Like I did last weekend.
We tend to get caught up in thinking that it’s all or nothing. Rest vs exercise. We go hard out at F45 during the week then laze around all weekend drinking pinot gris.
But there is a middle path.
It’s called “stretching”.
Gentle stretching and foam rolling are deceptively powerful practices to free up restrictions, reduce pain, increase vital energy and generally feel a whole lot better.
I know, I know, stretching isn’t sexy. It’ll never build a 6 pack. That's probably why we never do enough of it. In this day and age, it doesn’t ‘seem’ productive.
But when you know the science behind stretching, it suddenly becomes quite appealing.
We’ve all heard our Nan’s and Pops complaining of whole body aches. That’s not caused by ageing. That’s caused by a lack of movement.
And contrary to popular belief, the pain usually doesn’t come from the muscles themselves, it usually comes from tight fascia or connective tissue which wraps around all muscles. Fascia connects, binds and supports all bones, muscles, organs, blood vessels, and nerve fibres and it is literally found throughout your whole body.
Fascia is such a fascinating and until recently, little known topic. There is more and more research coming out about the role fascia plays in our mobility, pain management, recovery from injury and even stress management.
Did you know that fascia contains 6-7 times the number of nerve endings than muscle, and is the second most important sensory organ in the body after your skin!
When you’ve had an injury or an operation your fascia becomes damaged and creates thick layers to immobilise and protect the underlying tissue. You can tell tightness in the fascia as opposed to muscle tightness when the pain isn’t pinpointed, but rather widespread.
And when you've been under significant levels of stress for a long time, that stress can go straight to the fascia and cause serious rigidity which can take a while to undo.
It can take ages to feel right again, and the pain can stop us from moving. Our body is trying to help us, but too much inactivity can make things worse.
This pain is a signal that we need to get moving with some gentle stretching and foam rolling. These actions help to lubricate the fascia, free things up and increase mobility.
It actually feels good, like “sigh out loud good”. You know what I’m talking about.
So last weekend when I finally got my butt off the couch and onto the beach, spending 10 minutes of sun salutations made a whole world of difference.
There is a whole lot of talk about special ways to stretch fascia, including multidirectional stretching and pulsing, but honestly, any gentle stretching or foam rolling helps to lubricate fascia and bring freedom to your movements.
Here are three reasons stretching is great:
It’s FREE
You don’t need a gym membership to do it. You don't need a fancy yoga studio. You just need some space on your floor and a little time.
You don't need to be an expert
You don’t need to be a yoga teacher to know how to stretch your body. Generally the idea is to just stretch in a way that feels like you are hitting the spot, and hang out there for a bit.
You also don’t need any fancy equipment.
You literally don't need any equipment, but if you'd like to level up, Kmart has cheap foam rollers and rubber massage balls (not those horrible spiky ones that hurt) that totally work.
So in summary, YES, we all 100% need to rest and sleep more in this modern fast-paced life. And YES, we all deserve a few days break from our exercise routines every now and then.
Stretching is a middle path that we can incorporate when intense exercise isn’t really appropriate, and that is just as effective for having us feel great.
Massage is also an incredibly effective way to increase range of movement in the body. If you've been recovering from injury, or just struggling with generalised aches and tension, a massage can kickstart your recovery.