When you hope to get fit and healthy, the last image that comes to mind is relaxing on your sofa, eating snacks, and avoiding the gym. Of course, that impression is right, as this isn’t a good way to get fit and healthy. But it’s also important to note that if you don’t have the ability to relax, after you’ve been sticking to a healthy diet and working out every other day while stretching on your off-days, it’s very easy to feel overworked and overstressed.

So, some might say that it’s your solemn duty to learn how to take a load off, but learn how to do that in the best way. While some people buy shisha online or enjoy the intensity of yoga for relaxing, we hope to discuss three measures you can use to not only nourish your body, but feel as if your relaxation is actively contributing to your health and fitness lifestyle.

This way, even your downtime can feel rewarding, without the associated stress. Let’s see how that can be:

Nourishing Baths & Body Care

Nourishing and relaxing your body is not only good for feeling peaceful, but for soothing muscles, aches and pains, and promoting the natural regeneration of your body through and through. A great way to achieve this is through nourishing baths (sometimes ice baths can be helpful if wishing to prevent muscle soreness, as athletes use this method. It sounds awful, but can be very rejuvenating). Body care involves stretching, foam rolling, and using cocoa butter or creams to take care of your skin.

Meditation & Focus Exercises

It’s a great idea to focus on meditating where you can, or focusing on a certain activity such as reading a book in the evening. This gives your mind a chance to relax, and as our minds are intimately connected to the state of our bodies, it’s important to relax in this way and feel comfortable as a result. Focus exercises can help us take a load off, sink into our sofa, and remove the stress of the day. It can also help us deal with our cortisol more readily, which has been proven to help us avoid lingering feelings of stress which continue to exhaust us.

Creative Pursuits

You may think that exercise is the healthiest expression of the body, while meditation and focus are the healthiest expressions of the mind. But what about your spirit? We would recommend that engaging in a creative activity or task can help you relax perhaps more than anything else, especially if you open yourself to the experience and don’t think about it too intensely. Writing a little bit in your journal, painting, or creating with your hands can help you truly relax, while also feeling engaged and active. This helps lower cortisol levels, increases self-reliance, and also helps you express your emotions in a healthy manner. It’s not hard to see just how useful this can be.

With this advice, we hope you can consider purposeful relaxation as a great tool for when you’re tired from working out and are in need of replenishment.

*collaborative post