{Take action} Rest up

It's been a hectic summer so far and, as our wedding date creeps ever closer, "free" time is going to be thin on the ground. It's got to the point where, lately, I feel I've been running on empty - I go to bed to rest and I've been spending most days on countdown to bedtime! Not good. But a recent magazine article caught my eye as it talked about revitalising with 'active rest'.

It sounded, at first, a complete contradiction but it seems active rest is a proven concept by 'The Rest Doctor', Dr Matthew Edlund. (Well, with a name like that it got my attention!) His book, The Power of Rest provides a 30-day rest programme to re-educate our bodies and to rediscover how to feel refreshed.

So, 'active rest' - what is this magic elixir? It's not sitting on the sofa catching up on Sky+ planner - instead the doc suggests four types: physical (such as yoga or afternoon naps), social (simply meeting a friend for lunch or a walk in the park), mental (relaxation and visualisation) and spiritual (meditation and mindfulness).

Dr Edlund cuts to the chase. He says we wouldn't expect our bodies to function without food and similarly we shouldn't expect to feel fuelled and alert without rest. "It's not just critical to our survival.  We can feel better, look better and have a much better shot at living long and well."

Anyone for lunch?

Photo: pinterest.com