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cargopantsman · 4 years ago

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Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here

Trigger warnings: All of them, because I am lazy. Also none of this is sensical.

Utter, hyper-caffeinated brain noise.

The problem with the concept of a "sense of self" is it already tries to concretize an amorphous abstract. It makes us want to point at some thing and say "Well... that's me." Whether it is a set of ideals that we try to live by, a set of activities that brings us a sense of joy or fulfillment, or, gods forbid, and entirely different and other person that "completes us."

I've always had an affinity for trickster figures and shapeshifters. The wearers of masks, the truthful liars, the artisans of duality, yada, yada. Since I was a child my first instinct has always been to blend in. If into the background, great, but if need be, if I needed to blend into the social fabric around me, I could do that too. To throw this into the high school backdrop; I wasn't a social butterfly, I was shy as could be, but I got along with the jocks, the goths, the nerds, the art freaks, the band kids, the preps, the whatever. Where ever I was I could fake that I belonged there. I was comfortable drifting in between worlds. (Looking back, I could have caused a lot more chaos with the information I was privy to at the time...[Oh, there's a constant point. I'm good at keeping secrets, keeping confidence. I'll lie my ass off to keep a secret.]) Does any of that really help drive a sense of self though? When your natural instinct is to mirror, to blend, to fade? When your point of pride is walking into a room unnoticed and, even better, leaving a party unseen? Does being a ghost count as an identity?

"Expression of Will" comes to mind... what does that mean? Ok, so some abstract thing is inside of you and you manifest it objectly outwardly. I was an artist. I made images in my head and "kind of" manifest them on paper. Some times people see that paper... I was a writer... images in my head "became" words and some people saw that. I combined them into comics. Some people Saw that. Is that a lasting affect? Maybe the fights I've been into?! That time in 2nd grade someone was picking on a friend and I laid them out... the time in 8th grade someone was picking on me and clocked them down. Or in high school when someone decided to start some rumors and I held them up by their throat in the air until they turned blue? That was an inward thing that manifested outwardly. Nevermind good or bad, but was any of that... me?

Hmm. The beast. The primal... come back to that later.

"Expression of Will," "Expression of Will," "Expression of Will" ... What the fuck even is "Will"? Is this why philosophers get their heads so far up their ass? Is it a desire? The will to live.... living requires eating and the amount of times I forget to even do that... Maybe been looking at the phrase all wrong...

Will to Live (noun) It isn't a thing.

Will (verb) to (preposition) Live (verb)

Why does that sound better?

Desire to Live (noun)

Desire (verb) to (preposition) Live (verb)

Okay, that feels better even, but still... Sense of self, will, desire, expressions thereof. Are these just the aimless desires and wills? The fleeting flights of frivolous fancies festering forlornly in frontal cortices?

The self with the will can direct the desires towards living. "Get in the fucking robot Shinji!" "I don't wanna"

The (ghost) with the (strength) can direct the (impulses) towards (being). Getting too close to a concept of a soul on that one huh?

Forget self. It's a useless moniker right now. There is no self. It's just this mind alone for the first time in its entire life. (Not alone alone, there are friends, but they've learned more about me in the past two weeks than the past 6 years so...) "What did they learn?" asked the projection of self that defines itself by interactions with other.

I thought we were forgetting self.... not an option really. Sentience is a bitch like that. But they've learned I'll put up with a lot of bullshit under the guise of strength and integrity when I should've callously called this whole thing ages ago. That I can shut myself down completely in the interest of bodily-self preservation. (Not Self-self preservation, fuck the English language). What did I sacrifice? What did I shut down?

Everything.

That is less than helpful.

The Beast. Vince. Your Shadow.

My Shadow...

What do you desire?

Blood in the cut, tears in their eyes, power over someone that wants that power over them...

Do you want that? I don't want it, I just need it. No... I want it.

Is that all you are? A sadist? An animal?

Maybe... probably not though. A caretaker, and a sparring partner. A trickster and a shapeshifter. A crafter whose tools are destruction.

Next problem, grandeur. Mythologizing everything. But how to see a thing if you don't blow it up/magnify it?

You lack a sense of self because no one ever tested your sense of self. No one actually fought you for who you are. To find out who you are. The ex didn't. An old friend did until she got scared by what she found there.

You don't want to be yourself because it's not nice is it? You were raised to be nice.

College. I controlled the group. Never hit anyone after high school aside from set matches in classes or sparring for funsies. They all saw my eyes and stopped if they were getting out of hand.

The Dom-Friend.

Don't use the d-word on me.

Destroyer? Yeah, that one's fine. That one fits. He says as he carelessly tosses lit matches around his entire life. Can we bring up the phoenix or is that too grandiose? Why shouldn't it be grandiose? We spend every day of our lives going through the same kind of tedious bullshit all the time why not make our inner lives a bit bigger, a bit richer?

A bit darker.

Why do you want them to bleed? Hurt and comfort. That's a big theme, a trope if you will. Why not have both at the same? Why not let her think that I'm about to kill her but let her rest in the trust that I won't? Why not let me think that I'm about to break her while believing she is the most precious thing in the world?

Caretaker. A caretaker kills all the time. Tearing out weeds, uprooting the prized plant to move it to a better place for its growth.

Growth.

The self isn't going to be found just in ones self... not in another either. No, the self has to be found in everything. The things one wants to run to and run from. The soul (oops) is formed by what it crashes into right? The mind recoils from traumas races towards panaceas, why not, if one can, flip the polarity on the two. Bring the darkness screaming into the light so you can see it, bring the light quivering into the darkness so it can loose its terrifying brillance. Balance in all things right?

You're not a very positive person, they say. No... I'm not. It lashes out in bad ways sometimes, sure. Control, control, you must learn control. But being negative isn't bad. Not if you can grow from it. No plant can survive the sun for 24 hours. Trees sleep in the winter. We sleep, we heal, we grow.

Self-Destruction!! That's a fun one... seven fucking months downing a bottle of whisky a night. Whooo boy. Do Not Recommend.

Got a nice stay in the underworld though and trudged up a lot of shit. Now I'm sitting here with my ears ringing because I finally hit the personal limit on Monsters and my brain is overclocked enough I can finally see shit at 4 angles at the same time. I am a god damned quantum supercomputer of emotions right now.

Faith and faithlessness are the same thing. Have faith, trust the future, don't expect anything, don't plan your now for your future. Sounds sadly like live in the moment type bullshit, but life is weird and people are complex. Shifting drifting clueless animals that want to be safe but don't want to get stuck in anothers arms even when there is one whose arms are so safe.

The damage runs deep... and two people with damage running that deep. Hmm. How much healing can falling do? The other just puts a bandage over a puncture wound and both try to ignore it, but then the blood gets pumping, the heart pounds and poisons surge to the surface. It's neither one's fault really. Life is a trial of knives and we don't always have time or concern to tend the wounds properly. There's always something else that needs to be taken care of first.

Divorce is a helluva drug. It is maddening, the freedom to finally to be yourself is line having the lineart stripped off, there is a terrifying infinity in front of you and the only thing to do for awhile is melt. Let the slings and arrows just pierce and sink in. Anyone else tries to push the sludge of you into a shape might get hurt when they find the arrows. I want to go absolutely feral in a way. In a way the whole COVID mess is keeping me under lock and key so I'm just prowling around the empty house like I always have been, but now there's some sense... of purpose.

I'm raging against any depression, the executive dysfunction is going to have a talking to. The sense of self is going to be found in stripping this house down to bare walls and making a blank canvas. Bring everything down, ruin it all, start again.

My self is emptiness, it always has been. I can be anything, but I should be wary of ever wanting to be something. (My career options are AWESOME). But this is a different emptiness than before. Before I pulled the trigger and splattered the brains of the marriage across the floor I was just a void, and inky black pit of nothingness. Somehow, having the Shadow rise up and finally start getting along with the rest of me, the emptiness isn't.... void. It's just nascent possibility and that shouldn't scare me.

It does, of course, terrify me. First time in 40 years being legitimately alone is terrifying, should have done this kinda thing when I was 20, but... I was an idiot back then (60 year old me laughs from the future). But I think I can get a grip on the concept that "I" don't exist, but I'm real... ever changing ever dynamic, not who I was while I was married, but a mix of the me before, a angry beast now, and something yet unseen in the future.

#personal bs #vince rising #dan falling #don't try this at home kids

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beantown-boy · 6 years ago

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Punch Bowl ||An Andi Mack Fic|| (CW Homophobia)

Quick Shoutout to @abg-blah and @luzawithoutu for providing me with motivation, and to @dumb-binch-juice for providing me with inspiration

"Cyrus, please DON'T wear a tux to homecoming."

“Please, wear a tux,” TJ countered, giving Buffy a pointed look before turning to his boyfriend with a smile. Cyrus looked amazing. It was like the universe had decided that Cyrus should be able to look both handsome and comfortable in formalwear. He wasn’t so lucky. The shoulders of his suit jacket were awkwardly tight, and he was pretty sure that his socks hadn’t shown this much when he wore this last Homecoming.

“It’s too formal,” Buffy pleaded. “I’d go with the blue suit. Why stray from a classic? Plus, you just had it tailored. It would be a shame for that to go to waste.”

“But the tux makes a statement.”

“Yeah it does. ‘I’m too good for normal dress clothes’”

“Which you are. Don't let her undermine your confidence.”

Cyrus drew his hands up dramatically, cutting them off mid-argument.

“Dearest and most beloved advisors, I have come to my conclusion. Before I state it, I must say, I love you both in equal, though different measures. That being said, Buffy is right. It’s just a little too much. Don’t worry, Teej, I’ll rock the tux for next year’s prom.”

He jumped onto the bed, and quickly kissed TJ on the cheek before walking back into his closet.

“Gross,” Buffy teased.

As the closet door clicked shut, a series of sharp knocks came from the door to Cyrus’ room, followed by Marty’s muffled voice. “Hey, guys? Are you done in there? Jonah and Lenni are here, and they’re starting to think that Buffy killed TJ. Which you didn’t, right?”

Buffy smirked and gave TJ a playful shove before going to open the door.

“Not yet. I could never do that to Cyrus.”

“More like you couldn’t do it, period, Driscoll.” TJ shot back.

“Can you guys please make it through one night without bickering?”

“No.” They replied in unison before bursting into laughter.

Being friends with Buffy was great, but ever since she and Marty had started the whole 'being straightforward' thing she'd needed someone else for verbal sparring. And joking with her kept TJ on his toes. It was nice to know that he still had his sharp tongue, even if he rarely used it. Marty and Jonah were fun, but sometimes a bit witless. Buffy was anything but.

The pre-Homecoming dinner at the Goodmans' was just as good as the year before, if not better. Cyrus' dad always went all out when his son had friends over. And even if the meal still devolved into Jonah and Lenni heating up hot pockets and seeing who could eat the most of them without burning themselves, TJ was happy to spend the time surrounded by his friends and his boyfriend.

By the time the group split up between TJ and Buffy's cars, TJ was already getting snaps of the dance from Chet and William. He put his phone down as Cyrus and Jonah climbed into the backseat, leaving him alone up front. He stared at the two of them, as the awkwardness seeped in.

"So no one wants shotgun, huh?" TJ deadpanned.

"I mean, I was going to," Jonah explained, "but then I thought Cyrus might want to, and then-"

"I just know that the passenger seat is the least safe one in the car." Cyrus stated. "And I do trust your driving skills, but I don't necessarily trust everyone else on the road."

"Oh, so if I die, I'm dying alone, gotcha. Since that's cleared up, Jonah, do you wanna ride shotgun."

"Risk of death, let's goooo!" Jonah shouted, climbing over the passenger seat.

"See," TJ said as he pulled into the Grant High parking lot, "no fatal accidents."

“Told you I trusted you.” Cyrus

The dance was already in full swing as they entered the overcrowded gymnasium. A swarm of students surrounded the DJ booth, while others milled about between the snacks and the neatly decorated tables.

“Isn’t this amazing?”

Cyrus sighed as he took it all in. He and the other class reps had worked really hard to make sure that the dance went flawlessly, and judging by the look on his boyfriend’s face, TJ believed they’d succeeded. The junior class rep, Avery, TJ thought, waved Cyrus over towards the punch bowl. Cyrus looked cautiously between her and his friends.

“Can I just -”

“It’s fine.” Buffy interrupted. “Go talk to her, grab some punch and then meet us on the dancefloor.”

Buffy, as it turned out was a very good dancer. TJ didn't think he was abysmal himself, but he certainly wouldn't have managed half as well if she hadn't been by his side. They slid this way to that beat, as they ran into Jonah again. They made a turn at that moment because it seemed to fit just right, and Buffy broke off from him to join Marty. TJ spun into the guys from the team before Lenni pulled him back towards the others. The energy between the five of them was electrifying. TJ wasn’t sure how much time had passed before they settled with just bouncing in the crowd of Grant High students.

“Okay, Buffy,” Lenni huffed, “we get it. You’re tireless. But some of us would rather just watch someone else dance for a change. In your car you were talking about the Cyrus Shuffle. What even is that?”

Buffy’s laugh was almost drowned out by the sound of the crowd.

“It’s whatever dance moves Cyrus throws together whenever he says he’s gonna do the Cyrus Shuffle.”

TJ picked up after her.

“Each one is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. You have to see it. He should be back any second now, unless-” He turned back to Buffy, who was already giving him her ‘I know exactly what’s happening’ smile. They had left Cyrus with Avery, another huge nerd. They’d almost definitely started seventeen different tangent conversations, and if no one interrupted them the class reps would probably spend the whole dance talking about chemistry or exam prep. One of them would have to get Cyrus.

“You’re his boyfriend,” Buffy said quickly. “You go get him.”

“You just want to kiss Marty while I’m not around to make fun of you.”

TJ didn’t catch her reply as he turned and tried to make his way through the crowd. Now that he was trying to get out, he realized that making people move was so much harder than he remembered it being. Even last year, people still had given him a bit of precautionary space, and sure, it had stung, but it had also been useful. He pushed the thought out of his mind as he slid between flying elbows. He was nice now. He had been for two years. It made sense that people would feel at least comfortable around him. And if that feeling came with feeling small and cramped sometimes, so be it.

Finally, he made it out of the crush of bodies. Relief crashed over him with a wave of cooler air, but the jostling of the crowd still left him a bit on edge. TJ took a moment to get his bearings before heading towards the punch bowl. He spotted Cyrus’ familiar blue suit from across the room, and immediately he felt more relaxed. It took him another moment to realize that something was wrong.

Avery was nowhere in sight, and Cyrus was shifting from foot to foot like he was ready to bolt at a moment’s notice. He was talking to someone who TJ couldn’t quite make out in the dim gymnasium light. TJ nearly sprinted past the tables to get to Cyrus. And as he got close, he recognized Ethan practically towering over his boyfriend. He felt himself go cold, hot, then cold again as he stalked toward the senior.

TJ was sick of him. Ethan had been a jerk to Cyrus before. He’d done horrible things to Chet’s sister Charlotte. Cyrus had tried reporting the guy last year, but despite the school’s zero tolerance policy for bullying, Ethan was still around. And now he was screwing with Cyrus again. TJ interrupted whatever insulting comment Ethan was making as he made it to the punch bowl.

“Don’t you have anywhere else to be? Or did your soccer buddies’ house party get busted?”

That was nice enough. He hadn’t outright insulted Ethan, which was good. Civility wasn’t his strong suit.

“I was just swinging by to my last ever HoCo,” Ethan replied. He flashed a toothy sneer that made TJ’s skin crawl. “And then I saw your little boyfriend here, and I couldn’t help but share a little senior wisdom.”

“Can we just go?” Cyrus suggested before freezing again when Ethan turned his attention back to him.

“No.” The way Ethan spoke made it seem more like a fact than anything else. Cyrus shrank back even further, and TJ tasted metal in his mouth.

“Ethan’s right,” TJ said. He felt like he wasn’t the one speaking. His voice was surprisingly level, even as his nails began to dig into his palms and a painful heat began to spread from the pit of his stomach. Whatever force was carrying him continued. “I’d personally love to hear what an idiot calls wisdom.”

“It’s easy, kids. Homecoming is for normal people. And that’s not you guys. I don’t care if you do the whole gay thing. But not at my homecoming. So get lost,” He shoved Cyrus towards the door, and muttered something under his breath that made Cyrus wince. Adrenaline and panic spiked in a moment of white-hot fury and-

“TJ, are you okay!”

Cyrus’ voice connected through the haze, and TJ felt himself slowly becoming a person again. He tasted blood in his mouth, and his face was still burning with wildfire. He realized he was on his back. His head hurt. His chest hurt. His hands hurt worst of all. He looked to find blood on his knuckles and under his fingernails. Then, he saw Cyrus standing worriedly above him, right next to Principal Donaghue, whose face was set in an unforgiving line.

“Mr. Kippen, I must ask you to leave the premises immediately. We will be discussing disciplinary actions Monday.”

The next few moments still felt like a dream. Cyrus was still looking at him with that concern, or maybe it was fear, as Buffy seemed to materialize to help him to his feet. The next thing he knew he was lying on his back, on the football field, in the chilly October night. Buffy was resting on his left, either unaware or uncaring of the grass stains on her dress. Cyrus was sitting on his right, more contemplative than concerned.

“I’m sorry.” TJ offered, eyes fixed on the night sky.

“Well,” Cyrus supplied tentatively, “This isn’t my first run in with school administration. I just haven’t been kicked out of a dance before.”

“I’m so sorry,” TJ repeated, thinking back to the look of shock on Ethan’s face when he leapt forward to punch the senior.

“I never meant to actually-- It was just so-- And he was-- I’m sorry. For ruining our night.”

Buffy laughed, and a plume of fog erupted with it.

"Congratulations, Blood-Nose, you are officially the loose cannon of Grant High's sophomore class, again." She paused, weighing her words, before continuing. “Besides, that Ethan guy had it coming. I’m actually a little bit jealous I missed the action. He’s one of those very punchable people. Right, Cyrus?”

Cyrus’s breath steamed in the silence. A moment passed, then another, and TJ’s heart clenched as Cyrus finally spoke.

"You are a great guy, TJ, and I know that. And I should’ve spoken up more to stop that from happening. But you’re still you. You’re headstrong and brave, and remarkably kind. But, sometimes, you remind people why they used to fear you. And that’s not a bad thing, as long as they know they don’t have to anymore. I know I don’t. I just love you. So, I will see you either after detention, or at your house if you get suspended. But tonight-"

Cyrus kissed him, and TJ was still scared. He was scared about what repercussions would come on Monday. He was scared about telling his parents what had happened that night. He was scared about all the rumors that were probably already spreading through the sophomore class. But for once, he wasn’t scared of himself. And for ten seconds he let himself enjoy that. Until Buffy said, “Gross,” and the three of them collapsed in crazy stressed laughter.

#andi mack #andi mack fic #andi mack fanfic #tyrus #tj kippen #cyrus goodman #buffy driscoll #jonah beck #platonic tuffy

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avengeultrons · 7 years ago

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Title: Down for the Count (Reader x Peter Parker)

Summary: The reader is a huge Ham Fan which sparks something in Peter to learn and impress them.

Word Count: 1814

A/N: OMG I’M BACK! I took the ACT today and things seem to be returning to normal for now; I hope you still like me a little bit :)

You were beginning to learn things about your newfound friend, Peter Parker, that made your heart flutter. One; he was undeniably adorable when he ran into the Avengers Facility commons, a wide smile on his face as his eyes scanned the room in search of you. Two; his eyes weren’t just brown but the color of amber and dark chocolate and molten gold all at once, a sea of honey in the sunlight. The third thing you were beginning to learn was that Peter Parker was incredibly persistent.

It started when you were working out in the gym all by yourself, blasting the Hamilton album on shuffle at the highest volume you could. The sounds of Guns and Ships must have made their way out into the hall, for along came Peter. He peeked his head in at first, a smile making its way to his face as he caught your gaze in the mirror, watching as you simultaneously sang, did chin ups, and wiggled your eyebrows at him.

Peter stepped inside and dropped his gym bag onto the bench by the door with a chuckle. “What’s this?” he asked, an eyebrow raised. You gawked at him, your mouth falling open as you finished your reps and jumped to the ground, clapping your hands together.

“You don’t know Hamilton?” you asked with wide eyes. His blank expression seemed to show it all. “Hamilton: An American Musical? I can’t believe you don’t know Hamilton! Have you been living under a rock for three years?” you chided, wiping the sweat off of your face with one swift swipe of a towel, trying to prevent the droplets from falling into your eyes.

Peter shrugged, his whole face going hot from embarrassment. You could even see the heat rising, turning his cheeks red. “I’ve heard of it, but-,” you cut him off by raising your finger, a smile on your face.

“Wait, sorry. It’s just that the best part is coming up,” you said with a malicious grin. Peter sat back and watched as you sang the Lafayette’s entire (entirely difficult) rap without breaking a sweat. Well, without sweating anymore than you were. You didn’t miss a beat, it was like you were in the musical yourself. He sat there, completely stunned and unable to form any words until the song ended and you hit pause on your phone. “Okay, sorry. You were saying?”

“I was saying that I’ve heard of it but I’ve never listened. What did you just say? Taking this horse in the rain and... what?” Peter stifled his laughter as your cheeks turned pink, sitting next to him as he tied his trainers. He had no idea that you were such a musical theater nerd.

“No, wait. It’s ‘I’m taking this horse by the reins, making redcoats redder with bloodstains’. You try,” you were encouraging him to try reciting the line, but the faster Peter went, the more he stumbled over the lyrics.

He became increasingly frustrated and kept starting the rap over, taking deep breaths in between each take.“Hey, it’s okay. Not everyone is destined to be a Lafayette. Besides, not being able to rap isn’t the end of the world,” you smiled over at him, the two of you so close that your hands were brushing against each other as you sat side by side. “I suggest you look up the musical, it’s only my second favorite thing on the planet as of late.”

“Your second favorite?” Peter finished lacing up his sneakers and looked over at you, his chin resting in his hand. He made a mental note to revisit Hamilton: An American Musical and the song Guns and Ships at a later date.

You shrugged nonchalantly as you got to your feet, grabbing your water bottle from its spot on the floor. “Right after you! Or, you might be second after Hamilton, haven’t decided yet,” this flirtatious jab made Peter’s face turn pink as he smiled, rolling his eyes as if to say that he didn’t take you that seriously. He did. As he watched you wave and walk out of the gym, still a spring in your step despite the strenuous workout you just had, his stomach twisted into thousands of knots. He had to impress you.

Peter was sitting in the kitchen, one earphone in his ear as he listened to your favorite broadway musical album all the way through for the second time. He was scanning through a page of lyrics that he’d found on the internet when a tap on his shoulder made him jump, abruptly stopping the song as his face burned from embarrassment. “Woah, sorry. What’re you listening to?” May precariously tossed a grocery bag onto the counter and peered over his shoulder to scan the lyrics.

“Nothing. Just Hamilton. Y/N said I should check it out,” he shrugged as if it was completely nonchalant and not a big deal, but his aunt’s obnoxiously large smile told him that she knew that it was definitely a big deal. “She was singing this rap the other day and I couldn’t rap. It wasn’t like she laughed at me, but… You won’t go crazy if I say this right?” Peter paused, waiting for May to nod and listen intently. “I know it’s silly but I really want to impress her.”

Suddenly, Peter’s aunt morphed into the popular Snapchat filter of pink hearts dancing around the head. “Oh, I don’t think it’s silly at all,” she gushed, clasping her hands under her chin. “Tell you what; you help me lug the rest of these groceries in and I’ll help you learn these lyrics.”

“You promise to not be weird?” he asked, jumping up from his barstool. May rolled her eyes, tossing an arm over his shoulders.

“I’m cool, I promise!” she said. Peter rolled his eyes at her, unable to believe her. She vowed to keep cool for Peter, but she was growing increasingly excited for him and the fact that after all this time, he was finally talking with her about the important people in his life. “Let’s start with this first song.”

Natasha held the elevator doors for you as you jumped in, breathless from sprinting the three blocks from school to make it. Your heavy, overflowing backpack practically falling off of your shoulders to your feet. Papers and textbooks overflowed and spilled out onto the floor, much to your dismay. You had so much homework and test prep to navigate through that you could already feel the stress breakouts forming. “Hey, Y/N,” she said with a smile. “You okay there?”

“Oh, totally!” you said sarcastically, the two of you scooping up all of your homework to toss back into its rightful container. “I have three tests tomorrow and an exam on Saturday. Other than that, I’m great.”

Natasha gave you a reassuring pat on the back as she led the way off of the elevator. “I have faith in you,” she said.

You dragged your backpack into the living room and dumped all of your homework onto the coffee table before hitting shuffle on the Hamilton album. You were humming along, grabbing a snack to munch on while you were working through all of the work. Helpless, one of your favorite songs, came on as you flipped open your English notebook with a smile and sang along. “Hey, what’s up?”a quiet voice from behind you made you whip around,eyes wide. It was only after you saw that it was a sheepish Peter that a smile blossomed on your face.

“Hi,” you said breathlessly between singing along to the song. “I’m just studying,” Peter sat next to you and grabbed homework out of his backpack.

The two of you were sitting silently side by side working on separate subjects when Peter leaned over and tapped you on the shoulder, “Y/N, guess what I learned?” he beamed. You quickly finished scribbling vocabulary words before looking over at him, a wide grin on his face. He took a deep breath just as Alexander’s rap came up in the song, flawlessly executing the first lines. It was only then that you realized that Peter had learned a whole rap from Hamilton to show you.

You felt like you were in a Hamilton esque High School Musical moment as you sang along as Eliza, taking a break from your homework to enjoy the moment. The two of you used pencils as microphones, singing along to the words as loud as you could.

“My life is going’ fine ‘cause Eliza’s in it,” Peter sang along, not a care in a world. You had truly never seen him so carefree and elated.

“I look into your eyes and the sound the limit,” it was Eliza and Alexander, you and Peter. It was the most cliche yet stress free moment of your day, yet it was so much fun. “I’m helpless! Down for the count and I’m drowning’ in them.”

The song faded and the two of you broke out into fits of laughter, your face turning pink. You were out of breath from the belting your favorite tune. Peter nervously looked down at his homework and picked up his pencil with a sigh, chewing on his bottom lip nervously.

“Can I kiss you?” Peter blurted, his eyes widening as he did so. It was word vomit, something he’d wanted to say but had never had the guts to say before. Now he understood why. “I’m sorry, that was...sorry.”

You laughed nervously, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. Your breath caught in your throat, hands shaking. Peter’s jitter filled chuckle escaping his lips as the anxiety bubbled up inside you. You had to do something. “No, it’s okay.” before you could do or say anything else, Peter had closed the small gap between the two of you as he pressed an incandescent kiss to your lips, a hand caressing your cheek. Your mind drew a blank as you sighed into the kiss.

The kiss left both of you breathless as you broke apart, eyes wide and cheeks dusted pink. You bit your lip and smiled at him, twirling your pencil in between your fingers. “Did you learn Hamilton lyrics to impress me or something?”

Peter’s face was still burning red, so much so that he could feel the heat rise in his face once more when he heard a soda can tab being popped open.

Both of you whipped around, scanning the room with nervous glances. “I guess I’m going to pretend I didn’t see that,” it was Steve, feeling all too embarrassed that he walked in on something such as two teens’ first kiss. His own face was red from the thought. He looked between the two of you and smiled sheepishly, swallowing the lump in his throat, “I was never here.”

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lindafrancois · 4 years ago

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Active Recovery Ultimate Guide: What Should I Do on Rest Days?

“Steve, what am I supposed to do on days when I’m not training?”

It’s a great question and one we receive quite frequently here at Nerd Fitness.

With our coaching clients, not only do we create workout schedules for them, we also help them utilize “off days” with active recovery.

Have your Nerd Fitness Coach create a complete workout routine, including active recovery! Learn more here:

Today, we’ll share with you the exact same lessons (click to jump to that section):

Is it good to work out every day? (Why you need rest days)

What should I do on gym rest days? (Active Recovery)

Rest Day Workout 1: Mobility

Rest Day Workout 2: Fun Activities

Rest Day Workout 3: Intervals, Sprints, and Walking

Rest Day Workout 4: Yoga

Rest Day Workout 5: Foam Roller

Making the most of your days off (3 Rest Day Best Practices)

Let’s do this.

Is It Good to Work out Every Day? (Why You Need Rest Days)

We advise our coaching clients to work out 3 days per week with full-body strength training routines.

This would include lots of compound movements like:

Squats

Push-ups

Overhead presses

Deadlifts

These exercises train multiple muscle groups at once, resulting in an efficient, functional, strategy for strength building and weight loss.

Here’s the important science for today’s lesson: your muscles are actually broken down during your workout.

When challenged enough, they tear during the exercise and only start to grow back during the 24-48 hours after training.[1]

That’s why it doesn’t benefit us to train the same muscles every day; we don’t want to destroy them without giving them a chance to grow back stronger.

If you follow our advice and do full-body strength training workouts 2-3 times a week, the question “How many days a week should I rest?” can be answered with “around 4 or 5 days without heavy lifting.”

So, does this give you free rein to binge-watch your favorite show on “days off from the gym?”

While I’m not going to tell you to delete your Netflix account (the horror), I do want to talk about making the most of your time away from the gym.

What Should I Do on Gym Rest Days? (Active Recovery)

The biggest problem most people have with off days is that they become cheat days!

Because they’re not training, they’re not thinking about being fit and it’s much easier to slack off, eat poorly, and lose momentum.

This is bad news bears.

Remember, exercise is only 10-20% of the weight-loss equation: how we eat and rest is the other 80-90%!

I’ve found I’m far less likely to eat poorly when I’m doing some active recovery than when I’m not doing anything deliberately.

So plan your off days!

Think of them not as “off days,” but they’re “recovery days.” They serve a vital role in building an antifragile kickass body capable of fighting crime (or roughhousing with your kids in the backyard).

Whether it’s scheduling one of the Rest Day Workouts below at the same time you normally train every day, or deliberately adding a morning mobility/stretching routine to your day, doing SOMETHING every day is a great way to remind ourselves “I am changing my life and I exercise daily.”

This leads us to the idea of “active recovery.”

Active recovery is any gentle movement designed to help your muscles heal after training.

It’s a subject we discuss in our guide on DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness).

When you exercise, you increase blood flow to your muscles. By moving your body, you’re actually speeding up your recovery.[2]

The trick is to be active enough to increase blood flow, but gentle enough that you allow the muscles to heal.

Our Rest Day Workouts below will walk that fine line.

You might also want to walk a tightrope on your rest days.

Personally, on days when I’m not training, I try to block off a similar amount of time to work on myself in some way to maintain momentum. I encourage you to do the same if you lose momentum when taking a day off.

It could be flexibility training, mobility training, meal prep, and more. I’ll cover these below!

Whatever it is, do SOMETHING every day, even if it’s for just five minutes, to remind yourself that you are making progress towards your new life.

Need help building a weekly workout schedule, including rest days? I have two options for you.

The first is to get your hands dirty and check out our guide “How To Build Your Own Workout Routine.” It’ll walk you through everything you need to design a day-to-day exercise plan.

Alternatively, we can do all of the heavy lifting for you (well, not ALL the heavy lifting) – we’ll create a specific routine so all you have to do is log into your NF Coaching App each morning and do the workout your coach prescribed!

Never wonder what to do next. Learn how our coaching app can tell you exactly what to do every day!

Rest Day Workout 1: Mobility

We’ve all felt that soreness the day after (or two days after) strength training or from an intense run – our muscles have been broken down and are incredibly tight from all of the heavy lifting.

For that reason, one of the best things you can do on an off day is to work on your flexibility and mobility. After all, what good is strength if we can’t move our body properly to utilize it! Dynamic stretching and mobility work helps prepare our body for the rigors of strength training, keeping us injury free!

Regardless of whether or not you have a training day scheduled, try to start each morning with a mobility warm-up: a series of dynamic movements that gets your body activated and wakes up your muscles, joints, and tendons. If you live in an apartment or are just getting started, feel free to leave out the jumping jacks:

youtube

This gives us a chance every morning to check in with our bodies and reminds us mentally “I am leveling up physically, might as well eat right today too.”

Here’s another favorite mobility routine from my friend (and coach) Anthony Mychal. It says it’s a warm-up for tricking, but it’s quite helpful for those of us mere mortals:

youtube

If you spend all day at a desk, doing some basic mobility movements throughout the day can keep your hips loose and keep you thinking positively.

Here’s an article on how to dominate posture at your desk job.

Rest Day Workout 2: Fun Activities

We are genetically designed to move, not sit on our asses for 60+ hours a week. Not only that, but we are genetically designed to have fun doing so too!

This means we can spend time on our off days working on our happiness AND staying active at the same time.

Like with whatever is going on here:

This fun activity can mean something different for everybody:

Go for a bike ride with your kids

Go for a run around your neighborhood

Play kickball in a city league (I play on Thursdays!)

Play softball

Swim

Go for a walk with your significant other

Go rock climbing

Learn martial arts like Brazilian Jiu Jitsu or Capoeira or Kung Fu

Take a dance class

Try Live Action Role-Playing (LARP!)

Play on a playground

Roll down a hill and run back up it

Check out our guide “40 Fun Exercises! Exercise Without Realizing It” for even more ideas!

I honestly don’t care WHAT you do, as long as it’s something you truly enjoy doing – it should put a smile on your face and gets your heart pumping.

Exercise does not need to be exhausting or miserable. If you haven’t found an activity you enjoy yet, you haven’t tried enough new things.

The point is to get outside, remember it’s a damn good day to be alive, and that we are built to move.

Helping clients discover exercise they love is one of the key components of our Online Coaching Program. Whether it’s learning parkour, hiking in a nearby forest, or heading to the gym to grab a barbell, we help clients discover their passion so working out becomes enjoyable.

Our coaching program makes getting healthy fun. Seriously! Learn how we can help you on your journey.

Rest Day Workout 3: Intervals, Sprints, and Walking

“But Steve, I have this big party coming up and I really am trying to lose as much weight as possible.”

Okay okay, I hear you – if that’s the case, then 90% of the battle is going to be with your diet. You should focus your energy on healthy eating in order to lose weight.

But there are SOME things you can do on your off days that can help you burn more calories:

1) Interval Training – In interval training, you’ll be varying your running pace. This means you may switch between jogging and walking, or walking and sprinting (there are few different methods of interval training). This training style can help speed up your metabolism for the hours after you finish.

2) Sprinting – If you like the idea of burning extra calories and building explosive power and speed, check out our article on becoming the Flash. Find a hill, sprint up it, walk down, and repeat the process for 10-20 minutes. No need to overthink it!

3) Long walks – Walking is a low-impact activity that burns extra calories and doesn’t overly tax your body. What a “long walk” will be is different for everybody based on their level of fitness, but walking is one of the best things you can do for yourself!

If you want to take a more active recovery day, the most important thing is to listen to your body. Destroying ourselves for 6+ days a week can really wear us down, causing long term problems if we’re not careful.[3]

Rest Day Workout 4: Yoga

You might not realize it, but yoga is the perfect complement to strength training:

Strength training makes us stronger, but it can tighten up our muscles and make us sore.

Yoga, on the other hand, lengthens our muscles and tendons,[4] aids in their recovery,[5] and helps our body develop better mobility and flexibility.[6]

It’s the perfect way to create a strong AND mobile body, ready for anything and everything we throw at it.

It’s kind of like turning your body into a swiss-army knife: prepared to be strong, flexible enough to avoid injury, and truly antifragile.

Now, if you’ve never been to a yoga class before, it can certainly be intimidating, especially if you’re a ones-and-zeros programmer wary of the practice’s more spiritual aspects.

That was my concern years ago before I got started with it; I had to muster up 20 seconds of courage to attend my first yoga class, and I’m so glad I did.

Here’s how to get started with Yoga!

Nearly any commercial gym you join will have yoga classes.

Most yoga studios have classes throughout the day.

Follow a plethora of videos online if you want to get started at home.

In fact, here’s a beginner routine you can follow right now:

youtube

Need help with any of the poses?

Check out 21 Yoga Poses for Beginners for guidance on all positions.

Rest Day Workout 5: Foam Roller

You’ll often hear using a foam roller as “self-myofascial release.”

You may be asking, “myofawhatnow?”

Don’t stress, because “fascia” is just the connective tissue covering muscle.

Just know that “self-myofascial release” means giving yourself a tissue massage.

The important thing for today’s lesson: a rolling massage has been shown to help alleviate muscle soreness.[7] Which means it’s a perfect inclusion for active recovery.

Here are some simple rolling exercises you can try today, courtesy of NF Coach Matt:

youtube

Yes, that is in fact a T-Rex. Yes, it was 100% Matt’s idea.

If you want even more information, including recommendations on which type of roller to purchase, check out our guide “How to Use a Foam Roller.”

Making the Most of Your Days Off (3 Rest Day Best Practices)

No matter what you end up doing on your rest day, here are some best practices to keep in mind.

Rest Day Best Practice #1: Meal Prep

As we know, a healthy body is made in the kitchen, not in the gym.

It’s important to stay diligent with healthy nutrition even on days when you’re not hitting the gym.

One of the best ways to do that is to use one of your non-training days to prepare your meals for the week! NF Coach Staci Ardison does all of her meal prep for the week on Sundays, and looks at it like an activity that is furthering her fitness journey.

Interested?

Staci walks you through everything you need to start cooking for the week in our Guide to Meal Planning and Prep.

Plus, here’s my exact recipe for batch cooking chicken:

youtube

Rest Day Best Practice #2: Engage Your Brain

I like to use one of my off days to break a mental sweat too!

On Tuesdays, I take fiddle lessons, which is a mental workout so taxing that I can’t wait to get back to deadlifts!

Learn a language, build a table out of wood, or go play chess with a friend.

Anything that forces your mind beyond its comfort zone engages your brain. A great way to spend your time away from the gym.

Rest Day Best Practice #3: Have Fun!

Whether it’s playing a video game, getting caught up on a movie or TV show, or reading a book, it’s important for us to do the nerdy or fun things that make us who we are.

As the Rules of the Rebellion state: fitness can become part of what we do, but not at the expense of who we are!

I’m currently playing through The Last of Us: Part II, and it makes me happy our current apocalypse isn’t as bad as that one.

If you live for playing Dungeons and Dragons with friends, make room for it on your calendar.

Just like it’s important to schedule health and fitness, it’s important to schedule fun.

This guide has provided you with all the tools you need to begin an active recovery practice and to make the most of your rest days.

If you’re looking to go a bit further, I have three options for you…

#1) If you want step-by-step guidance creating a workout schedule, getting stronger, and even eating better, check out our killer 1-on-1 coaching program:

Our coaching program changes lives. Learn more here!

#2) Exercising at home and need a plan to follow? Check out Nerd Fitness Journey!

Our fun habit-building app helps you exercise more frequently, eat healthier, and level up your life (literally). Plus, NF Journey will tell you exactly what days should be “off.”

Try your free trial right here:

#3) Join The Rebellion! We have a free email newsletter that we send out twice per week, full of tips and tricks to help you get healthy, get strong, and have fun doing so.

I’ll also send you tons of free guides that you can use to start leveling up your life too:

Get your Nerd Fitness Starter Kit

The 15 mistakes you don’t want to make.

Full guide to the most effective diet and why it works.

Complete and track your first workout today, no gym required.

Alright, your turn: How do you stay on target even on days when you’re not “training?”

I’d love to hear from you – do you take the day off completely? Do you challenge yourself in a different way? Do you try to do something every day to keep the momentum up, or do you actually take days off?

Leave it in the comments!

-Steve

PS: Another good rest day activity? Take a nap!

Your body does quite a lot of its healing during sleep. Get some proper shut-eye.

###

Photo sources: Mikkel © 123RF.com, A good Sunday to you, resting cat, Rain doesn’t stop a photographer, juhajarvinen © 123RF.com , Run, foam roller, back to vacation,

Footnotes ( returns to text)

A meta analysis found that 1 to 2 rest days between workout sessions was optimal for muscle repair, although they included a caveat that the intensity of the exercise would impact this: “A meta-analysis to determine the dose response for strength development.”(PubMed)

Check out this study on active recovery and DOMS: “An Evidence-Based Approach for Choosing Post-exercise Recovery Techniques to Reduce Markers of Muscle Damage, Soreness, Fatigue, and Inflammation” (PubMed)

Check out this sudy on the importance of resting for 48 hours after intense cardio: “The effects of exercise-induced muscle damage on cycling time-trial performance” (PudMed)

Check out this study on yoga and flexibility in the eldery: Flexibility of the elderly after one-year practice of yoga and calisthenics. (PubMed)

This study showed yoga helping to reduce DOMS: “The effects of yoga training and a single bout of yoga on delayed onset muscle soreness in the lower extremity.” (PubMed)

This study showed college athletes obtaining better balance and flexibility in only 10 weeks of yoga: “Impact of 10-weeks of yoga practice on flexibility and balance of college athletes”(PubMed)

The study on foam rolling and muscle soreness: “Pain pressure threshold of a muscle tender spot increases following local and non-local rolling massage: PubMed”

Active Recovery Ultimate Guide: What Should I Do on Rest Days? published first on https://dietariouspage.tumblr.com/

0 notes

lindafrancois · 5 years ago

Text

Active Recovery Ultimate Guide: What Should I Do on Rest Days?

“Steve, what am I supposed to do on days when I’m not training?”

It’s a great question and one we receive quite frequently here at Nerd Fitness.

With our coaching clients, not only do we create workout schedules for them, we also help them utilize “off days” with active recovery.

Have your Nerd Fitness Coach create a complete workout routine, including active recovery! Learn more here:

Today, we’ll share with you the exact same lessons (click to jump to that section):

Is it good to work out every day? (Why you need rest days)

What should I do on gym rest days? (Active Recovery)

Rest Day Workout 1: Mobility

Rest Day Workout 2: Fun Activities

Rest Day Workout 3: Intervals, Sprints, and Walking

Rest Day Workout 4: Yoga

Rest Day Workout 5: Foam Roller

Making the most of your days off (3 Rest Day Best Practices)

Is It Good to Work out Every Day? (Why You Need Rest Days)

We advise our coaching clients to train 3 days per week with full-body strength training routines.

This would include lots of compound movements like squats, push-ups, overhead presses, and deadlifts.

These exercises work multiple muscle groups at once, resulting in an efficient, functional, strategy for strength building and weight loss.

Here’s the important science for today’s lesson: your muscles are actually broken down during your workout.

When challenged enough, they tear during the exercise and only start to grow back during the 24-48 hours after training.[1]

That’s why it doesn’t benefit us to train the same muscles every day; we don’t want to destroy them without giving them a chance to grow back stronger.

So, does this give you free rein to binge-watch your favorite show on “days off from the gym?”

While I’m not going to tell you to delete your Netflix account (the horror), I do want to talk about making the most of your time away from the gym.

What Should I Do on Gym Rest Days? (Active Recovery)

The biggest problem most people have with off days is that they become cheat days!

Because they’re not training, they’re not thinking about being fit and it’s much easier to slack off, eat poorly, and lose momentum.

This is bad news bears.

Remember, exercise is only 10-20% of the weight loss equation: how we eat and rest is the other 80-90%!

Personally, I know I am far less likely to eat poorly when I’m doing some active recovery than when I’m not doing anything deliberately.

So plan your off days!

They’re not “off days,” they’re “recovery days,” and they serve a vital role in building an antifragile kickass body capable of fighting crime (or roughhousing with your kids in the backyard).

Which leads us to the idea of “active recovery.”

Active recovery is any gentle movement designed to help your muscles heal after training.

It’s a subject we discuss in our guide on DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness).

When you exercise, you increase blood flow to your muscles. By moving your body, you’re actually speeding up your recovery.[2]

The trick is to be active enough to increase blood flow, but gentle enough that you allow the muscles to heal.

Our Rest Day Workouts below will walk that fine line.

On days when I’m not training, I try to block off a similar amount of time to work on myself in some way to maintain momentum, and I encourage you to do the same if you lose momentum when taking a day off.

It could be flexibility training, mobility training, meal prep, and more. I’ll cover these below! Whatever it is, do SOMETHING every day, even if it’s for just five minutes, to remind yourself that you are making progress towards your new life.

Need help building a weekly workout schedule, including rest days? I have two options for you.

The first is to get your hands dirty and check out our guide “How To Build Your Own Workout Routine.” It’ll walk you through everything you need to design a day-to-day exercise plan.

Never wonder what to do next. Learn how our coaching app can tell you exactly what to do every day!

Rest Day Workout 1: Mobility

We’ve all felt that soreness the day after (or two days after) strength training or from an intense run – our muscles have been broken down and are incredibly tight from all of the heavy lifting.

Regardless of whether or not you have a training day scheduled, start each morning with a mobility warm-up: a series of dynamic movements that gets your body activated and wakes up your muscles, joints, and tendons. If you live in an apartment or are just getting started, feel free to leave out the jumping jacks:

youtube

This gives us a chance every morning to check in with our bodies and reminds us mentally “I am leveling up physically, might as well eat right today too.”

Here’s another favorite mobility routine from my friend (and coach) Anthony Mychal. It says it’s a warm-up for tricking, but it’s quite helpful for those of us mere mortals:

youtube

If you spend all day at a desk, doing some basic mobility movements throughout the day can keep your hips loose and keep you thinking positively. Here’s an article on how to dominate posture at your desk job.

Rest Day Workout 2: Fun Activities

We are genetically designed to move, not sit on our asses for 60+ hours a week. Not only that, but we are genetically designed to have fun doing so too!

Which means we can spend time on our off days working on our happiness AND staying active at the same time.

This fun activity can mean something different for everybody:

Go for a bike ride with your kids

Go for a run around your neighborhood

Play kickball in a city league (I play on Thursdays!)

Play softball

Swim

Go for a walk with your significant other

Go rock climbing

Learn martial arts like Brazilian Jiu Jitsu or Capoeira or Kung Fu

Take a dance class

Try Live Action Role-Playing (LARP!)

Play on a playground

Roll down a hill and run back up it

Check out our guide “40 Fun Exercises! Exercise Without Realizing It” for even more ideas!

I honestly don’t care WHAT you do, as long as it’s something you truly enjoy doing – it should put a smile on your face and gets your heart pumping.

Exercise does not need to be exhausting or miserable. If you haven’t found an activity you enjoy yet, you haven’t tried enough new things.

The point is to get outside, remember it’s a damn good day to be alive, and that we are built to move.

Our coaching program makes getting healthy fun. Seriously! Learn how we can help you on your journey.

Rest Day Workout 3: Intervals, Sprints, and Walking

“But Steve, I have this big party coming up and I really am trying to lose as much weight as possible.”

Okay okay, I hear you – if that’s the case, then 90% of the battle is going to be with your diet. You should focus your energy on healthy eating in order to lose weight. But there are SOME things you can do on your off days that can help you burn more calories:

Rest Day Workout 4: Yoga

You might not realize it, but yoga is the perfect complement to strength training:

Strength training makes us stronger, but it can tighten up our muscles and make us sore.

Yoga, on the other hand, lengthens our muscles and tendons,[4] aids in their recovery,[5] and helps our body develop better mobility and flexibility.[6]

It’s the perfect way to create a strong AND mobile body, ready for anything and everything we throw at it.

It’s kind of like turning your body into a swiss-army knife: prepared to be strong, flexible enough to avoid injury, and truly antifragile.

Now, if you’ve never been to a yoga class before, it can certainly be intimidating, especially if you’re a ones-and-zeros programmer wary of the practice’s more spiritual aspects.

That was my concern years ago before I got started with it; I had to muster up 20 seconds of courage to attend my first yoga class, and I’m so glad I did.

Here’s how to get started with Yoga!

Nearly any commercial gym you join will have yoga classes.

Most yoga studios have classes throughout the day.

Follow a plethora of videos online if you want to get started at home.

In fact, here’s a beginner routine you can follow from Nerd Fitness right now:

youtube

If you like how we do things around here and that video piqued your interest, consider checking out our full-length course, Nerd Fitness Yoga:

6 full 30-min workout routines you can follow along to:

Download or stream the routines anytime, anywhere, on any device.

Mini-mobility sessions to help you deal with a sore back, tight shoulders, poor posture, etc.

We’re super proud of Nerd Fitness Yoga, and I’d love for you to check it out! It comes with a 60-day money back guarantee!

Need help with any of the poses? Check out 21 Yoga Poses for Beginners for guidance on all positions.

Rest Day Workout 5: Foam Roller

You’ll often hear using a foam roller as “self-myofascial release.”

You may be asking, “myofawhatnow?”

Don’t stress, because “fascia” is just the connective tissue covering muscle.

Just know that “self-myofascial release” means giving yourself a tissue massage.

The important thing for today’s lesson: a rolling massage has been shown to help alleviate muscle soreness.[7] Which means it’s a perfect inclusion for active recovery.

Here’s some simple rolling exercises you can try today, courtesy of NF Coach Matt:

youtube

Yes, that is in fact a T-Rex. Yes, it was 100% Matt’s idea.

If you want even more information, including recommendations on which type of roller to purchase, check out our guide “How to Use a Foam Roller.”

Making the Most of Your Days Off (3 Rest Day Best Practices)

No matter what you end up doing on your rest day, here are some best practices to keep in mind.

Rest Day Best Practice #1: Meal Prep

As we know, a healthy body is made in the kitchen, not in the gym.

It’s important to stay diligent with healthy nutrition even on days when you’re not hitting the gym.

Interested?

Staci walks you through everything you need to start cooking for the week in our Guide to Meal Planning and Prep. Plus, here’s my exact recipe for batch cooking chicken:

youtube

Rest Day Best Practice #2: Engage Your Brain

I like to use one of my off days to break a mental sweat too!

On Tuesdays, I take fiddle lessons, which is a mental workout so taxing that I can’t wait to get back to deadlifts!

Learn a language, build a table out of wood, or go play chess with a friend.

Anything that forces your mind beyond its comfort zone engages your brain. A great way to spend your time away from the gym.

Rest Day Best Practice #3: Have Fun!

Whether it’s playing a video game, getting caught up on a movie or TV show, or reading a book, it’s important for us to do the nerdy or fun things that make us who we are.

As the Rules of the Rebellion state: fitness can become part of what we do, but not at the expense of who we are!

I’m currently playing through The Last of Us: Part II, and it makes me happy our current apocalypse isn’t as bad as that one.

If you live for playing Dungeons and Dragons with friends, make room for it on your calendar.

Just like it’s important to schedule health and fitness, it’s important to schedule fun.

This guide has provided you with all the tools you need to begin an active recovery practice and to make the most of your rest days.

If you’re looking to go a bit further, I have three options for you…

1) If you want step-by-step guidance creating a workout schedule, getting stronger, and even eating better, check out our killer 1-on-1 coaching program:

Our coaching program changes lives. Learn more here!

2) Exercising at home and need a plan to follow? Have questions you need answered? Join Nerd Fitness Prime!

Nerd Fitness Prime is our premium membership program that contains at-home exercise routines, live-streamed workouts with NF Coaches, a supportive online community, group challenges, and much more!

Learn more about Nerd Fitness Prime!

#3) Join The Rebellion! We have a free email newsletter that we send out twice per week, full of tips and tricks to help you get healthy, get strong, and have fun doing so.

I’ll also send you tons of free guides that you can use to start leveling up your life too:

Get your Nerd Fitness Starter Kit

The 15 mistakes you don’t want to make.

Full guide to the most effective diet and why it works.

Complete and track your first workout today, no gym required.

Alright, your turn: How do you stay on target even on days when you’re not “training?”

Leave it in the comments!

-Steve

PS: Another good rest day activity? Take a nap!

Your body does quite a lot of its healing during sleep. Get some proper shut-eye.

###

Photo sources: sleepyhead, A good Sunday to you, resting cat, Rain doesn’t stop a photographer, soccer player, Run, foam roller, back to vacation,