Rest Yo'Self

Frequently when I am reading fitness posts, blogs, etc. rest periods are not mentioned enough!! I'm not referring to a rest day or two, but an actual chunk of time taken as a break from fitness. The break is just as important for your progress towards body positivity as the fitness part.

Some natural times to take one of these extended beaks are holidays like Christmas or Easter. Another time is vacation times to paradise or a family reunion. But these types of breaks only happen a few times a year, and that just isn't often enough! We aren't that of Superman, the muscles, joints, bones and tendons need extended periods of rest. So, how do you know when to take these breaks aside from holidays and vacations?

Listen to your body! It sounds simple, but it isn't for a lot of us. For people who suffer from; anorexia, bulmia, binge eating, E.D.N.O.S, obesity, over exercise, and yo-yo dieting, listening to their natural body signals is really, really hard! I speak from experience. It becomes impossible to tell what is a true body signal, or our minds playing tricks on our bodies. Telling us to not eat when we should, or to workout when we shouldn't. I've learned that I personally struggle with knowing when to take a rest, because my brain will tell me to keep going. So, I've come up with 3 easy to identify signs that suggest your body needs an extended rest (3 or more days).

1. Pain.

In pain, don't train!

Are you in significant pain? I'm not referring to sore muscles from training legs the day before. I mean pain that can't be easily explained such as; headache's, stomachaches, back pain, neck pain, or overall physical pain from illness. Some people might suggest that you work through the pain. But, 95% of us aren't training to be pro-athletes. So, we shouldn't exercise through it. I have learned the hard way that working out with a migraine does nothing. You don't get the most out of your workout, and you get more pain as a result. If in pain, don't train!

2. You have been dreading the gym/workouts
Unless it your first moth of fitness (when your body isn't in the workout routine and your mind is still adjusting to the changes) if you have been dreading your workout for 2-3 days, then that is your minds way of saying 'take a rest!'. Maybe work has been stressful, or life has been throwing extra crap at you one week. Don't make the situation worse by forcing yourself to fitness. Instead, allow  yourself the grace to take an extended time off from exercise. The break won't ruin your journey. Your muscles won't disappear, your weight gain or loss won't evaporate overnight. Instead, take a few days to relax and come back to training refreshed and ready to push yourself.

3. Family/friends are telling you to take a rest

Bed day

As I said previously, those of us who struggle with mental illness like eating disorders or have problems associated with food or our bodies, we can't always trust ourselves to know what is best. But, our friends and families can see things we miss. They might notice us looking run down or trying to exercise through the flue, or overloading ourselves with working out and the daily struggle of life. So, if someone you care about tells you to take a rest, listen to them!! I'll be honest, that this sign is the one I struggle most with. When my partner advises me to rest, my brain makes up lies like 'he wants me to get fat' or 'he doesn't want me to make progress'. Obviously, that isn't true and these are disordered thoughts. Our loved ones only want what is best for us, they would never try to hold us back. Listen when someone close to you says to 'take a break', because they have a good reason for suggesting it.

I'm sure there are many other ways to know when your body requires a break. I am not a fitness or medical professional, all of this is my own opinion. These are my general rules that I try to follow. But, I'm not perfect and I am frequently guilty of pushing myself too hard and not allowing my body to recover properly. I'm a work in progress like everyone else.

Monday Mac Attack

Many things taste like home to me. I love pizza (although that is technically Italian), pancakes, cupcakes, Pop Tarts, pecan pie, ice cream, and Tex-Mex (yes, it is Mexican but with a USA twist). But, it is hard to find these American things in the UK that are authentic. If I do manage to discover a restaurant that serves genuine American food, it usually costs a lot! So, to get a quick hit of Americanness, I resort to an oldie, but a goodie.

Mac & Cheese

I make this 2 ways. The first method is most similar to what I grew up eating as a kid. One of the easiest meals for a busy single mom to make was Kraft mac and cheese. Boil the pasta, throw in some butter and milk, add the packet of powdered cheese, and boom! Instant delicious meal. I would only eat it with cut up hot dogs. Heaven in a box. Kraft is not widely sold in the UK, when it does occasionally pop up in Tesco, it costs a fortune! I paid $7 for a big box once, but I was desperate.

My solution is simple. When I am in America, I buy 10-15 boxes of mac and cheese. (Not always Kraft, sometimes it has to be store brand, but I’m buying in bulk so I have to save $) Next, I open all the boxes and remove the powdered packets. Finally, I give the left over pasta to my mom, and take the powder cheese packs to England. Macaroni tastes the same no matter where you buy it, and this way I save space in my luggage.

The first time my partner had Kraft mac and cheese, they were extremely wary. For two reasons; they had never seen powdered cheese before, and they had never seen pasta turn orange as Kraft mac tends to do. However, after their initial shock, it is now a much beloved quick meal in our house.

The second method I utilize to make mac and cheese is more traditional. When I couldn’t find box mac, I had to improvise for a mini dinner party I was holding (everyone knows pasta is the cheapest way to host meals at university). So, for the first time ever, I had to make mac and cheese from scratch. (The irony of how my first home made mac and cheese occurred in England is not lost on me) Unfortunately, all the recipes I found online were designed to be made in America, with American cheese and ingredients. British cheddar cheese and American cheddar cheese are two very different things. After a lot of attempts, I finally found a combination of cheese and spices that make an accurate dish of comfort American mac and cheese. The recipe is below. This dish is adored by all of my friends, and my partner asks for it on a weekly basis. I make it for any big group gathering, because it is both cheap and easy to make in large quantities. Plus, the UK has nothing that tastes similar to a dish of mac and cheese.

Indigo’s American Mac and Cheese (Made in England)

Ingredients:

Macaroni

Milk

Butter

2 tablespoons of flour

Leister Cheese (like American yellow cheddar)

Mozzarella cheese (to give the desired stringy effect)

Sharp Cheddar Cheese (for a kick)

Bacon (optional but highly recommended!)

Onion (optional)

Boil your Macaroni, to enhance the flavor add a pinch of salt to the boiling water. While pasta is boiling, dice and fry your bacon in a pan (the crispier the better in my opinion). Once the bacon is cooked through, put it aside, but save the grease. In a pot, add some butter (I go with 2-3 big spoon full’s), milk (around 1 cup) and the rest of the bacon grease (for flavor). Once that has melted and combined, add your flour to give the sauce thickness. The last step is to add all your grated cheese! I usually start off with the cheddar cheese, then add leister and finally a small amount of mozzarella (to much makes it overly stringy and messy). I have no exact measurement for anything, I guesstimate based on who I am feeding. After all the cheese has melted, add it to your drained macaroni pasta, as well as the crispy bacon. Stir it all together, then pour the mixture into a casserole pan. Sprinkle some grated cheese on top, then put it into the oven at 350 F/180 C for roughly 20 minutes. I leave it in until the cheese on top is brown and crispy.