Kelsey HigginsonSports Nutrition Coach and Founder at Clutch Day Coaching

The perfect rest day formula for athletes

2 Aug 2025 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

1:04

In this instructional video, the speaker outlines a five‑point formula for an optimal rest day for athletes. The formula emphasizes (1) fuel and nutrition – never skip meals or snacks, prioritize protein, quality carbohydrates, and healthy fats; (2) sleep – aim to be in bed before midnight, especially on weekend rest days; (3) active recovery – light movement such as yoga, stretching, walking, light jogging, or sauna to keep blood flowing without intense effort; (4) hydration – maintain fluid intake with electrolytes, targeting roughly half of one’s body weight in ounces of water per day; and (5) mental rest/reset – limit phone scrolling, engage in reading, meditation, or nature walks to give the brain a break. The speaker stresses that rest‑day nutrition and recovery practices are as crucial as training‑day habits for performance and preparation for upcoming weeks.

Chapters

This is the formula for a perfect rest day for athletes. We've got fuel, sleep, active recovery, hydration, and mental rest. What fuel needs to look like on a rest day is not skipping meals, not skipping snacks. You're making sure you're prioritizing protein and good carbs and good fats. Your nutrition on rest days is just as important as it is on a training day. Number 2 is sleep. A lot of times rest days are on the weekends and athletes skimp on sleep. The time to get the best sleep is before midnight. So get to bed on time and prioritize your sleep. Number 3 is active recovery. Recovery. This doesn't mean to go do a crazy hard workout. This just means to get the body moving, the blood flowing. This could be sauna, yoga, stretching, a light jog, a walk. Number 4 is hydration. Fits in with fuel here. You gotta hydrate. Have a little bit of electrolytes throughout the day. Make sure that you're drinking at least half of your body weight in ounces. And then number 5 is a mental rest slash reset. Basically just saying, don't stay on your phone all day scrolling. Read a book, do some meditation, go for a nature walk. This gives your brain time to just rest and reset for the week Coming ahead.