Value of rest and relaxation

ROMAN poet Ovid wrote: take a rest; a field that has rested gives a beautiful crop.

And for the next two weeks I’m going to be learning – well, forced to learn – the value of rest and relaxation.

Having recently undergone a minor surgical procedure, which left me with seven stitches in my lower back, my doctor has given me strict instructions not to engage in any exercise, particularly running – and not even yoga – while they heal.

And it was only when I was forced to stop doing it – and heard myself moaning about not being able to train – that I realised what an integral part of my daily routine exercise had become.

Maybe even a crutch.

But. Here I am, having to take a break and find a way to maintain the balance in my life – without being able to turn to something which, itself, had helped me create some form of equilibrium in a previously unhealthy life.

To be honest, the first few days were very difficult.

My routine was to leave home at the crack of dawn to avoid traffic, and this had created a convenient space in my day to exercise before work.

But now that space was… Unfilled. I suddenly found myself back in the routine of “old Chantel”… Still leaving home really early, being at my desk by 6.30am and getting stuck straight into work.

It was while I was pondering how to fill this time which for the past three years had been my exercise time, that I realised that in my quest for balance and healthy living, I might have created something of an imbalance.

And that, of course, is not uncommon for people who make major changes to their lifestyles.

Think of people who stop smoking and then start eating sweets or chewing gum incessantly.

Hi. I’m Chantel and when I turned my back on unhealthy eating, I might have developed an out-of-balance relationship with exercising.

I am, however, grateful it wasn’t more than a fairly small incision in my back that forced me to slow down and realise that.

Other people suffer severe injuries or even burnout.

So, while I am resting my body for the next two weeks and giving it time to heal, I’m also working on the way that I think about my daily exercise and movement routine, as well as my attitude towards what is necessary and what is enough when it comes to training.

And I’m making a list of the things I can add to my day which might be just as fulfilling, if in a different way.

Personally, this forced period of rest has enabled me to create more time for reading, listening to music and writing in the early morning, and spending time outside, enjoying the hustle and bustle of the city centre as it comes to life.

It’s early days still, but I’m looking forward to assessing how a change in routine impacts me physically, mentally and spiritually, and using this experience to build an improved daily routine that is both balanced and forgiving of the disruptions that unsettle us when we sink into a comfort zone.