Why We Need to Slow Down: The Importance of Rest, Recovery & Gentle Movement

Written by Jake Gifford The Phitcoach

Jake is an experienced personal trainer who focusses on tearing down the barriers to exercise and emphasises an inclusive approach to fitness that goes beyond how we look.

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With an ever-growing pressure to move more (in some cases harder and faster) and sit less, we might be building a narrative that undermines the importance and necessity of rest and recovery.

The benefits of getting active and minimising the time we spend sitting down is nothing new or novel, with the support of exercise as a method of promoting healthy living and positive mental health dating back centuries. Physical activity has been positioned as a way to maintain or improve health, fitness and reduce our risk of a number of diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis.

However, despite the notable benefits of getting up and moving, in the eyes of public health experts, ‘fitfluencers’ and many people deeply engrossed within the exercise realm, we as a nation are considered not to be moving enough. It seems we are continually reminded of how our modern lifestyles where we are sat at our desks, sprawled out on the sofa or curled up in bed whilst some early birds are on their ‘5am grind’ are doing us more harm than good.

Whilst building a narrative on the necessity and importance of exercise in conjunction with reducing the time we remain still, may seem like a pursuit with only positive outcomes (and one I can somewhat get on board with), I can’t help but notice an uneasy shroud of pressure to move and in a lot of cases move faster, descend upon many whom are both new and well versed with the World of movement.

This sense of apprehension is partly as a consequence of the overbearing emphasis society places on movement as a method of controlling our bodies, our size and our self-worth. Often framed as a punishment for what we’ve eaten, a process of burning calories or for achieving a perceived body ‘ideal’ the need to move as a medium of control or punishment rather than pleasure trickles down and manifests itself into a burden we often place on ourselves to get moving.

Subsequently the need to get moving, and in many cases hard and fast through intense workouts, HIIT sessions and nausea-inducing classes, is pushed up higher on the hierarchal scale, whilst the importance of rest, recovery or gentle movement are often downplayed. Phrases such as “no pain, no gain” or “if it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you” are littered across the fitness landscape and reinforce the narrative that anything less than intense movement provides no benefit to you.

In doing so, we’ve subconsciously demonised rest and convinced ourselves that if we don’t push past tiredness, soreness, illness or meet the expectations set by society, and in some cases our own expectations, then it’s a negative reflection of our strength of character and self-worth. Through this account, feelings of guilt and shame are often the first to surface every time our body, mind or in some cases both, scream out to slow down or take a break because we’re continually told that a lack of movement is bad and that we need to move more.

This black and white view of activity and inactivity runs deep through the veins of physical activity messaging whilst often drowning out the associated risks and consequences of doing too much or ignoring our intuition. Risks such as disordered relationships with food, exercise and body image are all deeply rooted and often ignored in the pursuit of the perceived benefits of exercise and the fatphobia that’s guised as health promotion.

It is therefore in the interest and preservation of both our mental and physical health that we recognise the pivotal roles rest, recovery and gentle movement play. Gentle movement can have just an important impact on our health and wellbeing as intense exercise, whilst rest and recovery are acts of self-care in themselves, ensuring we don’t push our bodies or minds to the point of exhaustion, injury or illness.

Exercise, rest and recovery live in synergy, with none being morally superior or inferior. These elements are merely pieces to the complex puzzle, which is our own health and well being. This means that building and maintaining a positive relationship with exercise not only involves experiencing the pleasures and enjoyment of moving, but recognising when the body needs to rest, slow down or recover and the pivotal role they all play.

Striking the balance between moving and resting can often be a challenging path that is different for everyone, particularly when we are bombarded with mixed messages and strong opinions. However it is one that we must recognise and actively work on if we are to view exercise as something we want to engage in long-term rather feel guilt-tripped into doing.

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