For years, I thought rest was the enemy of progress.
If I wasn’t grinding, pushing, hustling, then I was wasting time.
In my 20s and 30s, I wore busyness like a badge of honor. Sleep was negotiable. Recovery was optional. I thought more was better — more workouts, more side hustles, more to-do lists checked off.
Then midlife came with a very different lesson.
I started feeling run down — physically, mentally, emotionally. My body ached in ways I’d never known. My motivation wavered. And no matter how much I pushed, I felt stuck.
One day, after a week of dragging through workouts and feeling burnt out, I finally gave myself permission to stop. Just rest.
And that’s when I realized:
Rest isn’t weakness.
Rest is power.
Rest is part of the plan.
What I wish someone had told me was this:
Your body needs rest to rebuild, to heal, to come back stronger.
Recovery is where growth happens. Without it, fitness plateaus, injuries creep in, and burnout sets up camp.
Midlife is the perfect time to shift from “more, harder, faster” to “smarter, kinder, sustainable.”
It’s about listening deeply to your body and honoring its rhythms — work hard when you can, rest when you need.
That balance is what will carry you through the decades ahead, with energy and joy.
Here’s the science and wisdom behind rest:
✅ Muscle growth happens during rest, not workouts
Your body needs downtime to repair muscle fibers and build strength.
✅ Sleep is non-negotiable
Aim for 7–9 hours. Sleep supports memory, mood, metabolism, and immune function.
✅ Overtraining increases injury risk
Ignoring signs of fatigue can lead to setbacks that keep you out longer.
✅ Stress management aids recovery
Meditation, gentle yoga, or simply unplugging can calm your nervous system and speed healing.
✅ Quality beats quantity
A few focused workouts paired with adequate rest trump endless grinding.
Schedule at least one full rest day and treat it like an appointment you can’t miss.
Experiment with a calming bedtime ritual — a warm bath, reading, or meditation.
Tune in daily: ask your body, “What do you need today?” and honor the answer.
Remember, rest isn’t the pause before the finish line — it’s part of the race.
With compassion and calm
XO, Emily
