Health is one of the most important topics that we can talk about. Clearly I think it is important as it is part of my life and business. You are reading this, so it is on your mind at the moment too. With all of the discussion around health, it is obviously on others’ minds as well.
Most of the time when we talk health, it involves tips on getting enough exercise, eating the right foods and things that involve action. Taking action is the best thing you can do for your health. With action comes results and satisfaction.
How do we know what actions to take? Well, we discuss that in many articles and there is no shortage of information out there that you can find to help you. I would like to stress the common sense approach and remind you that we have known the best actions for years. Moving your body and not over-eating are the basics that you need to live healthy.
Obviously there is more to it than that, right? Well, of course. You can do more and get more. You do less and get less. You can even do nothing if you want. You know what you will get when you do nothing, so we often think of it as a bad thing.
As an overall strategy, doing nothing is not recommended for your health. I wouldn’t tell my coaching clients to do nothing. I wouldn’t help my clients plan “do nothing” programs for their employees. I wouldn’t expect any doctors to recommend the nothing plan for better health. I have yet to see those published anywhere.
Doing nothing can actually be a good thing for you. If you are working out throughout the year, you may want to take a scheduled break to let your body recover. You muscles and joints can recover. Your body simply needs rest sometimes to get back to normal. Most trainers, coaches and other professionals would recommend taking a week or two off each year to make sure that the body is recovering.
When you have been focusing on specific diet choices, it can get difficult to stick with it. When holiday season rolls around there are some particular barriers that we all run into. As you approach these times of the year, it can be helpful to take a break from your strict routine. I’m not suggesting eating everything in sight, but easing up a bit can have benefits over short periods of time.
Although there are physical benefits to taking a break from your routine, it always comes back to mental energy. When you work hard all year to stay on track with exercise and diet, it can be mentally exhausting. The break is going to allow you to take a step back and refocus.
If you are mentally strained, it will only get harder to stick with your routine. Again, I don’t suggest you try this over a long period of time because you want your routine to be intact and consistent in order to get the results you are looking for. Doing nothing can actually have positive effects on your routine. But you may want to have a routine going before you try this approach, but in short stints, nothing may be just what you need. Just like we took summers off in school and take vacations from work, it can be helpful to take short breaks in our routines to make sure that we can recharge and come back stronger. So, if you are feeling run down and burned out after months of dedicated diet and exercise focus, it’s OK to give yourself a break.
