Cesar Chavez Day = Best Rest Day Ever!

Rest day!! It's hard to fathom now, but before tri training, the phrase 'rest day' was not in my vocabulary! There were a million things that I wanted to squeeze in, from a hike with the dogs, a tennis match, a yoga class, rock climbing, etc.  A day off from the gym only meant that I could add another dose of physical activity.
I never gave my body the opportunity to recover and heal itself. On the days that my body rebelled and refused to let me get a workout in, I would feel guilty for sitting on my butt.  Now that I'm doing 3-4 workouts a day, rest and recovery are my new best friends and Monday is my favorite day of the week. It's the perfect day to take a break after long workouts on the weekend, and its a great way to start the week off feeling fresh.
 
This Monday was the best recovery day yet. I didn't realize that it was Cesar Chavez day, which is a county holiday for all of us government workers, until late last week. So I took full advantage of my day off with 40 minutes of trigger point and an hour in recovery boots.

If you have never heard of Trigger Point, it's basically a foam roller on crack.  TP uses Myofascial Compression to work release all of the kinks in your body to help everything work together.  There are 6 components in the TP kits that we have at FNS: FootBaller & Baller Block, QuadBaller, TP2 Ball Sleeve, and 2 TP Massage Balls.  Each has a specific purpose, and you roll around on them in a "hurts so good" kind of way.  I focused on my IT band and my quads, and my legs felt nice and refreshed.  Then I moved on to the Recovery Boots! 

Recovery boots are compression boots that help re-circulate the blood flow in your legs to help athletes recover faster from tough workouts.  We at FNS are super lucky that our coach invested in a few pairs!  

According to the website, "The RecoveryPump System increases blood circulation via the sequence of applying compression to help clear metabolic waste build-up and restore the natural delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the muscle. The RecoveryPump System can be used daily as an aggressive recovery treatment for fatigued muscles."  

Basically, you sit in a chair with things on your legs that feel like blood pressure cuff at the doctors.  Then you sit back and relax as the boots fill with air (to your desired compression level), squeeze your legs for a few seconds, then deflate and start over.  The system helps your blood to flow freely, and forces "the body to evacuate the metabolic waste causing fatigue and soreness in the muscle." Recoverypump.com After nearly an hour in the boots, my legs felt brand new and super ready for the week. 

 To top off this awesome day of rest, BF and I celebrated opening day with the Oakland A's and a pre-game beer sampling at The Trappist in Oakland.

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