We look at the Ying and the Yang as having a healthy balance between Dr Movement (Ying) vs Dr Quiet (Yang). Importance of having a balance, if you continue to push energy out you need ensure you’re also bringing energy in. Work Hard- Rest Hard is an incredible concept that is essential to success with any exercise program.

Your mind and body need three kinds of rest- total, active and passive to function optimally every day. Active rest: performing chosen activity at a significantly reduced intensity, passive rest: performing activities that does not stress movement patterns that are stressed in your primary workouts and total rest: doing nothing or sleeping.

You need to be just as deliberate and aware about your approach to post-workout recovery routines as you would be undertaking good form exercising in the gym.

Unfortunately, lately we do live in a culture that doesn’t value rest as much as we should, most athletes and exercisers believe you get stronger or fitter when training however the truth is that you get stronger and fitter while resting between training sessions.

Rest, Sleep & Recovery is very important for our inner process. Dr Quiet time can include periods of minimal mental activity, including walking in nature, low stress activities that don’t require cognitive thought processes above and beyond “walking, looking and feeling”, stretching, mobility work, good quality sleep & routines, cold and hot therapy and massages. We need times of inner quiet and inner calm to create “open state of mind”.

Without adequate rest and recovery time in an open-minded state we are very unlikely to function effectively and be aware of when our intuitive calls are answered.

When you clearly understand the importance of Dr Sleep/Quiet you will feel how this can be more nourishing than a month of Dr Movement (training) when inner calm and rest was exactly what your body needed. It challenges the way we approach sleep, not as a minor inconvenience that prevents you from getting things done but as an essential component to your good health. If we don’t incorporate adequate knowledge of how to use rest and the value of rest as an essential growth and regenerative phase between training sessions, we increase the likelihood of unfavourable responses.

Sleep is a big topic on its own however to touch on it sleep at an early enough time consistently, can begin to help form a better routine for our bodies to function within. Example, for myself, a crucial recommendation would be to lay off stimulating substances as bedtime approaches. Sleep is one of the foundations of health and wellbeing that does not receive the attention or respect it should. You could be doing all the rights things like staying focused on your dynamic nutritional needs, movement, working in and working out, stress management and be thinking all the right thoughts. BUT! If you’re not sleeping well, you’re basically wasting all that good work.

If you’re out there outgassing all your energy doing other things and not getting quality sleep, you’re going to lack the energy you require to create your dream or have the energy to move towards that dream, whatever the goal or vision that you’re working on.

Relating back to Sleep/Dr Quiet where the importance of recovery needs to be as much of a priority as our training output. Rest is one of the most important elements of performance and exercise however it is one of the hardest things to do for so many of us.

Neglecting the recovery stage usually leads us to injuries, burn out, fatigue, decreased motivation, weakened immune system, trouble sleeping and loss of appetite.

An effective recovery pattern will help muscles and connective tissues repair faster allowing you to train harder and more effectively in your upcoming sessions. Recovery allows the body to restore and prevent dangerous and difficult overloads to be reversed in an over-training situation. It will also help individuals reach higher levels of fitness.

Post-exercise recovery is a vital component of the overall training paradigm and is essential for high level performance and continued improvement. If the rate of recovery is appropriate, high training volumes and intensities are possible without the detrimental effects of overtraining.

In other words, an athletes attempt to improve in the gym (by unintentionally going overboard) can significantly backfire.

A lot of the time we think we need to go harder to get better, but we are lacking a key element which is rest/recovery. We need to be focusing just as much on the recovery as we do the training to see the results we are chasing.

Another big factor to recovery is eating real food. When you’re exercising hard, your muscles get hungry which is why you should feed your body with good nutritious food post workout. Reason for this is your insulin levels rise after a workout. The insulin travelling through your body will pack this extra nutrition into your working cells while they’re hot

Ask yourself:

1. What does my body need to be productive and to protect your health?

2. How much good quality sleep are you getting each night?

3. Do you have a bedtime routine?

4. What are 3 recovery techniques you utilise in your everyday week?

5. What is your training to recovery ratio?

6. Are you someone who focuses on the energy coming in rather than only the energy going out?

7.  After a workout do you fuel your body with good nourishing foods as quickly as possible?

Recovery techniques include:

1.    SLEEP (as discussed above with Dr Quiet)

2.    Rest (as discussed above with Dr Quiet)

3.    Hydration and nutrition

4.    Cold and Hot therapy

5.    Train your weaknesses (example: stretching, mobility, REST)

My examples of Dr Quiet:

Sleep 8-9hrs every night

Sleep routine: (eat 2-3 hrs before sleeping, no sugar before bed, no phone once I have gotten into bed, short breathwork prior to falling asleep)

Dance (meditation/ feeling)

Cold showers (no mind, recovery/energy)

Quietness on the beach watching sunrises (mindfulness)

Read/Research (personal growth)