REST & REPAIR

The model of peak performance

and transforming health is:

STRESS (purposeful) + REST = GROWTH (results)

The body cannot repair itself when it’s in a constant state of “fight or flight.”

We must understand the “paradox of rest”: performance – or in this case, health – is only as good as our ability to recover. Look at Olympic athletes: they take recovery just as serious as they take their training.

Stress without proper rest and recovery will lead to regression. Overtraining or failing to recover is ONE of the most common causes of stress overload, which results in weight gain and poor health. When rest and recovery are not a priority, this can lead to an injured and overly stressed body, both of which make a “healthy lifestyle” and/or weight-loss nearly impossible.

Your results (or health) are only as good as your recovery. Science proves that too much exercise or stress often leads to chronically-high cortisol levels. Cortisol signals the body to store fat and leaves the body in a catabolic state (a state that is constantly breaking down).

Chronic stress is an epidemic and most of the population spends most waking hours in a sympathetic state.

CHRONIC STRESS IS AN EPIDEMIC

TOOLS FOR

REST & RECOVERY

FASTING

Fasting is one of the fastest and most effective ways to lower inflammation, improve recovery, and heal the body. When we stop eating for a period, this allows the energy normally used for digestion to be used for cellular repair. This repair process is called “autophagy,” which means “self-eating.” Autophagy is the method by which the body gets rid of damaged and diseased cells, pre-cancerous cells, inflammatory cytokines, and toxins, which allows the body to regenerate new, healthier cells.

BREATHING

Breathing effectively lowers cortisol, slows brain waves, lowers blood pressure, and signals the body to move into a “rest and repair” parasympathetic mode.

QUALITY SLEEP

Quality sleep plays a vital role in our ability to recover. During deep sleep, the body enters detox and repair mode. Deep sleep is 100 percent necessary for optimal health. Poor sleep leads to cravings, weight gain, a compromised immune system, poor brain function, and memory problems.

Bottom line: you can eat kale, exercise, and drink green juice, but if you’re not sleeping well, your body is not repairing itself and is under loads of stress. Sleep is hands-down one of the most powerful healing tools.