7 Types of Rest (And Why You Need Them All!)

Wait… So, you’re telling me there’s more to rest than getting a bit of shut-eye?

Shocking, we know. But yes! That is exactly what we’re saying. We’re even going to let you in on a little secret… 

Simply getting enough sleep is not going to cure your chronic exhaustion. 

Yep! There you have it. And it’s hard to believe, huh? We can’t speak for everyone, but we’ve always been told that a full REM cycle is all we need for a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, and under-eye-circle-free morning. 

Of course, that was until we stumbled across a TED Talk by Saundra Dalton-Smith that finally shed some light on why we’re all so sleepy. In it, she explains that there are seven different types of rest and that getting enough sleep each night is just not going to cut it. 

Now, let’s all take a moment to think about that. How many nights have you crawled into bed utterly exhausted, slept a full eight or nine hours, and woken up the next morning still feeling sluggish and fatigued? (Don’t worry, we’ve all been there.) Sure, you slept through a full REM cycle, however, there are other kinds of rest that your body might still be craving. 

In the wise words of Dalton-Smith, “we go through life thinking we’ve rested because we have gotten enough sleep—but in reality, we are missing out on the other types of rest we desperately need.” 

Sounds intriguing, right? Well in today’s post we’re going over the 7 types of rest (and why you need them all!). Stay tuned, and we’ll get to the bottom of why we’re all so sleepy all the time.  

1. Physical Rest

Now we all know what physical exhaustion feels like. It is all those moments where you’ve struggled to keep your eyelids open or simply couldn’t stop the yawns from spewing. These physical indicators tell you that you’re lacking passive physical rest—aka sleep—which is easily remedied by going to bed a few minutes earlier or sneaking in a mid-afternoon catnap. 

However, this traditional, sleepy rest is only one component of physical rest. The other is active physical rest – things like yoga at our Boutique Fitness Studio, stretching, holistic bodywork, and massage work. Although it isn’t technically required for our bodies’ daily functioning, active physical rest helps improve our bodies’ circulation and flexibility. 

2. Mental Rest 

If you’re feeling sluggish, yet are all caught up on physical rest, then you might need a little mental boost. Mental fatigue looks different for all of us, but the easiest way to combat it is by giving yourself a mental break. 

To prevent hitting that inevitable wall, we should all be making a conscious effort to turn our brains off during the day. These breaks include anything from going on a walk to grabbing a quick bite to practicing deep, mindful breathing. Practices like these remind our bodies to slow down, which renews our capacity for productivity later.

3. Sensory Rest

Sensory rest has everything to do with our surroundings. Take a quick moment to scan the room around you. Are there any bright lights? Funky smells? Loud music? Have you been staring into a computer screen? If so, how long?

It doesn’t matter where you are or what you’re doing, external stimuli can quickly overwhelm your senses. To prevent a sensory overload, we recommend conducting a little sensory reboot every so often. 

This can be achieved with something as simple as a 5-minute meditation, or you could take a few moments to close your eyes and regroup. If you’re feeling extra ambitious, you could try taking an “electronic-free” hour, afternoon, day, or weekend. (Crazy idea –we know.) 

4. Creative Rest

Did you know that every one of us uses our creative juices at some point throughout the day? Yes, even those of you who don’t think you’re creative. From pitching meetings to creating content, you honestly might be surprised by just how creative you are. 

To make sure our creativity is in full supply, we all need regular creative resets. However, how you choose to do so is totally up to you! Some of our favorites include taking a stroll through nature or letting ourselves get lost in a fabulous book. Essentially, you’re looking for activities that relieve the pressure to create while offering some inspiration, which of course boosts creativity. 

5. Emotional Rest

Emotional rest is another equally important (yet often overlooked!) component of rest and rejuvenation. If you’re not quite sure what we’re talking about, think about how often you say yes to do something (that—let’s be honest—you would rather not do). 

For people-pleasers especially, it is easy to sacrifice your wellbeing for the sake of others. Therefore, we like to describe emotional rest as taking a “yes-vacation.” (Now truly, doesn’t that sound appealing?) 

Instead of immediately agreeing to something or someone, pause to acknowledge how you are feeling. Tell whoever that you’ll think about it and commit only when you’re feeling up to it. 

If your day-to-day work or life is emotionally heavy, then this type of rest is especially important. It gives your brain that oh-so-needed pause, and it is as simple as taking a few quiet moments for yourself or chatting with someone with whom you are your authentic self. 

6. Social Rest

Social rest is especially important for introverts and people who find socializing exhausting. We’re able to socially rest merely by balancing our exhausting social encounters with rejuvenating ones. 

To start, try making a list of all the people you find stimulating, engaging, and easy to be around. Then, make a list of all the people whose company is more of a challenge. From there, make a conscious effort to maximize time spent with the former group and minimize time spent with the latter. (Trust us, you will quickly start to feel noticeably lighter.) 

This little boundary will also equip you to love the harder-to-love people in your life with more grace and energy!

7. Spiritual Rest

Last, but not least, is spiritual rest. Now regardless of your spiritual beliefs, all human beings need to feel connected to something larger than themselves. 

We feel spiritually rested when we are connected beyond the physical and mental realms. And instead of feeling disconnected from the world, we feel a deep sense of love, belonging, and purpose. 

If you practice a certain religion, this could mean devoting a few, quiet moments to prayer. Or you could try a morning meditation. If neither sounds particularly appealing to you, a spiritual reboot could also be achieved by volunteering in your local community or participating in something that forces you to look beyond yourself. 

So, What Next?

Here at R+R, we are all about full-body healing that is tailored to your personal needs. Regardless of whichever kind of rest your body is craving, we’d love to help you achieve it. 

If you’re ready to begin your wellness journey, browse our Where to Start page. All our offerings are synergistic in nature, so there is truly no wrong place to start. Honor whatever your body needs today, and our team will help you navigate from there. 

6 Reasons YOU Should Join The R+R Farm Co-Op

First things first: What is a Co-Op?

Quite simply, a Farming Cooperative (Co-Op for short) is a system where like-minded, hard-working farmers can pool the fruits of their labor to offer a larger variety to consumers. In doing so, they also split expenses such as supplies, materials and production costs while simultaneously side-stepping supermarket red tape and lag times in order to offer you the freshest foods possible… straight from the farm to your table.

This centuries-old concept caught our attention when we met Robert D. Copeland (aka Bob) last summer while planning for our Fall Market. Bob owns and operates Sunflower Farms, a local farm offering delicious grass-fed, pasture-raised beef and organically grown produce to The R+R Farm Co-Op. His passion for (and knowledge of!) cooperative farming and regenerative agriculture had us smitten from the get-go.

Back up – regenerative what?

Keeping simplicity top of mind, regenerative agriculture can be defined as the farming practices that nurture the land and animals to allow nature to work as intended. 

Digging a little deeper (and at the risk of sounding like Negative Nancy), one learns the methods of regenerative farming are counter-culture to the conventional food system’s goal of pumping the life out of the land, stuffing livestock into abysmal living conditions (feedlots and feedbarns), and feeding the livestock GMO grains they are not designed to eat – all in the name of the bottom line. The harm-reduction approach of regenerative farming nurtures the farmland by introducing such practices as adding organic top soil, avoiding chemically-laden pesticides, avoiding tilling, and by implementing fermentation, inoculation, intercropping, crop rotation and composting (to name a few).

According to Bob of Sunflower Farms, "Regenerative agriculture also involves grazing cattle, sheep, goats on pastures of grasses and moving them around from small pasture to small pasture regularly as they graze the grasses about halfway down to the ground. As they graze and move around in the small pastures, they leave behind a well-fertilized and plowed soil. The herds rotate from one pasture to the next on a weekly or more frequent basis depending on herd-size until you're back at the starting point where the grass has had time to regrow."

This more patient, counter-culture approach requires a community aspect in order to thrive, thus the appeal of a farming cooperative.

Now that you’re up to speed and have two new vocabulary words under your belt, let’s dig into why you should join The R+R Farm Co-Op!

Reason #1: The produce and meats are more nutrient-dense.

Pasture-raised meat and regenerative farming practices offer produce and meats packed with more nutrients and antioxidants proven to increase heart health, aid in disease prevention, build and maintain muscle mass, improve exercise, and more.

Larry Goodson, Farmer + Owner of First Earth Farm provides organically grown produce to The R+R Farm Co-Op.

How? You ask.

Remember what we learned about regenerative farming? These methods support the soil and strive to leave the land better than it's ever been. Think of it this way: What does your food eat? If your veggies are consuming high-quality organic nutrients from a solid soil, and if the animals are grazing organic grass grown on said soil - we’d venture to say their diet is pretty top-notch. Ipso facto… yours will be too!

Phys.org reports on the results of a study conducted in January 2022 over 10 farms across the US comparing regenerative soil to conventional soil stating, “The food grown under regenerative practices contained, on average, more magnesium, calcium, potassium and zinc; more vitamins, including B1, B12, C, E and K; and more phytochemicals, compounds not typically tracked for food but that have been shown to reduce inflammation and boost human health. Crops grown in the regenerative farms were also lower in elements broadly detrimental to human health, including sodium, cadmium and nickel, compared with their conventionally grown neighbors.”

Further, pasture-raised meats - especially beef - are full of Omega-3 fatty acids and Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA). Both Omega-3s and CLA greatly enhance your nutritional intake, and as it turns out, both are sorely lacking in grain-fed meats. 

There’s something to be said about slow and steady. It really does win the race, especially when it comes to nutrition. 

Reason #2: Our farming practices are better for the animals.

It is said a picture is worth a thousand words, and this one is no exception. Factory Farms, mostly owned by multinational corporations, throughout the country shove chickens, cows, pigs, goats and more into concrete blocks to sit in their own feces where they are pumped with goodness knows what to fatten them up… all in the name of making a buck.

The regenerative farming practices incorporated into The R+R Farm Co-Op treat the animals with the dignity and respect they deserve by giving them room to roam as they were created to do. Many of the animals even become pets and are befriended by the farmers! As we believe you’ll soon agree, happier, stress-free animals produce tastier food.

Reason #3: Our farming practices are better for the environment too.

Regenerative farming practices incorporated into our Co-Op are better for the environment by limiting chemical run-off. When you don’t spray the produce with pesticides and other harmful chemicals, there’s no residue seeping into the soil, into the food, and into your body. Period. This also means it’s not floating into the air we breathe! As mentioned above, the care taken to bring the soil to its optimal state with the goal of leaving it better than it was found benefits the environment for generations to come.

Reason #4: You’re directly supporting the local economy by supporting local farmers.

You may be wondering why we need a farming cooperative when we've got supermarkets packed with produce and meat on every major corner, but did you know USDA stats show that farmers who sell through conventional grocery stores only receive 14% of the profit from their hard work? 14%!

“Sure, the local supermarket has tomatoes in February, but they’re not coming from anywhere within 5000 miles of where you’re sitting. People want what they want, but they don’t understand what it takes to get it,” laments Bob.

By equipping local farmers to bring their in-season bounty to your table via the Co-Op, you’re not only doing your part to improve the broken food system, you’re putting money right back into the local economy.

Reason #5: You’re supporting sustainable farming practices.

The focus on sustainability to accompany regenerative farming ensures the land is never worked beyond what it can healthfully produce. This gentler practice allows for generations to come to reap the benefits of the rich farmland… just as God intended! We are instructed to be stewards and shepherds of the land and animals we get to enjoy.

As poignantly stated by Annemarie Sullivan, owner of Sullifarm + Kitchen providing all pasture-raised pork to the Co-Op, “Remember, every time you eat a meal, you are either enforcing a positive or negative effect. Not just to your body, but to our animals, our communities, our future generations, our air, water, and soil.”

By joining The R+R Farm Co-Op, you can rest assured that while you might not be the one digging in the dirt, you’re enforcing the positive effect of the most sustainable farming practices in the industry.

Reason #6: Organically grown produce and pasture-raised meats & eggs are best.

In a world of marketing mumbo jumbo with virtually no regulation on what the creative team at AB&C Marketing Company throws on the package of hot dogs to make them sound like they’re straight from heaven, even the savviest of shoppers can be misguided. Further, the red-tape and expensive hoop jumping required to obtain a USDA Organic stamp would make your head spin.

Organically grown produce and pasture-raised meats are the terms colloquially used by regenerative farmers to describe the most nutrient-dense food for your health as well as the most humane and nurturing practices for the animals and for the land.

Bob sums it all up perfectly saying, “Come for the nutrition and flavor. Stay for the Farm Share increase!”

Ready to join The R+R Farm Co-Op? Let’s do it!

How It Works:

Step 1: An annual Co-Op Membership of $89 must be secured to join and order from the Co-Op (spots are limited - so don't delay). Memberships go toward supporting the farmer’s supplies, inclement weather issues, production as well as the operational costs to run The Co-Op. Note: Your Co-Op Membership does not include the cost of food you choose to order. Secure your Membership here.

Step 2: After a Membership is purchased, customers can shop produce, meats, eggs, and more provided by our local farmers during shopping windows open every other Friday thru Monday. Check out this calendar for ordering and pick-up dates.

Step 3: Customers will then pick up their conveniently bundled goods the Thursday following the order window at R+R 11am-5pm. Ordering opens March 21st-28th & first pickup is March 31st.

The following amazing farmers will be providing directly to your table:

Sunflower Farms provides all of the delicious pasture-raised, grass-fed beef.

Little Foot Farm provides free-range, organic, pasture-raised eggs to the Co-Op.

Sullifarm + Kitchen provides all of the pasture-raised pork products.

Hollow Trace Market Farm provides all of the organically grown produce, specialty herbs and canned goods sold.

Armagh Creamery provides all of the dairy products.

Icon Bread provides all of the sourdough bread to The R+R Farm Co-Op.

Prairie Oasis Farm provides the pasture-raised chicken and lamb to the R+R Farm Co-Op.

Head to therrfarmcoop.com to learn more about the Co-Op, our amazing farmers, available products and to join the Co-Op! Stay tuned for more from The R+R Farm Co-Op including recipes and pro-tips from our knowledgeable farmers.

5 Tips to Stick to New Year's Resolutions

Say goodbye to half-finished goals and abandoned resolutions. Seriously! The days of forsaken new year’s resolutions are no longer.  

As we enter the month of February, it is safe to say that the new year is in full swing. Alas, it is also probably safe to assume that those oh-so-optimistic new year’s resolutions are hitting that mid-February slump. 

If you can relate, don’t fret! Because we can too. (And according to US News, 80% of resolution-ers are right there with us!) 

When they’re made with such good intentions, how do our goals for getting fit, taking care of ourselves, and improving our lives become so elusive? What is it about new year’s resolutions that makes them so terribly hard to stick to?
Well, the answer is incredibly simple. (And the solution: even simpler.) Lucky for you, we’re going to do a deep dive on getting those new year’s resolutions to stick.

If Your Goal Relates to Movement

It is probably a shock to none to hear that many new year’s resolutions involve movement and improving one’s health and fitness. From dieting to joining a gym to jogging twice a week to finally trying out that spin class, there are all sorts of fitness-related goals that people make. 

But of course, how many of these goals stick? 

The truth of the matter is that any kind of major change creates a bit of emotional friction that you and your body must be prepared to handle. Your goals to exercise more or follow a trendy new diet are doomed to fail if you haven’t readied yourself to handle the inevitable stress and discomfort that comes with such lifestyle changes. 

In other words: unless you first change your mindset, you can’t expect your health and fitness goals to magically materialize. 

If your goals reflect drastic changes to your daily routine — say exercising significantly more or following a strict diet plan — they can cause you severe emotional stress and anxiety. Your body, quite literally, will start to panic. 

To combat such things from happening, it is important to make sure that your goals are accessible. If you haven’t gone on a run since high school, maybe don’t resolve to run five days a week. Instead, commit to running just once a week, say on Sunday afternoons. 

By ensuring your goals are realistic and accessible, you are more likely to be able to foster the mental and emotional capacity needed to achieve them. 

Similarly, if your goal is simply to exercise more, you might overwhelm your body and your brain with its vastness and breadth. To make this goal more manageable — and less overwhelming! — you could join a class through our Boutique Fitness Studio instead.

R+R’s Boutique Fitness Studio offers high-quality classes (ranging from barre to Pilates to yoga to HIIT and more!) that welcome all fitness levels. The instructors are ultra-knowledgeable, and it is their job to design workout programs that work for you and your body. 

Bonus: Since we only offer smaller classes, there’s an instant accountability factor making you less likely to skip. In addition, you get that 1:1 coaching and motivation often missed in larger studios where you can easily become (and remain) anonymous.

If regular movement is a new addition to your lifestyle, a fitness studio is a terrific way to ease yourself into it. By submitting your movement goals to someone else’s guidance and expertise, your mind is released from the pressure to simply figure it all out itself. 

If Your Goal Relates to Self-Care

Another ultra-popular new year’s resolution — especially after the year or two we’ve been through — is crafting a self-care regime.

While there is a lot of jabber surrounding what you should be including in your self-care routine, the key is to fill it with activities that you love and will look forward to after a long day. 

If you commit to things simply because they’re trendy, you won’t be as motivated to stick to them. Instead, you should incorporate activities in your self-care routine that recharge and make you, personally, feel good. Here are some ideas:

• Gratitude journaling

• Practicing yoga or another kind of movement 

• Sweating it out in an infrared sauna

• Taking daily walks around the neighborhood

• Enrolling in a dance class

• Getting holistic bodywork done (which, for those of you who might not know, brings alignment and balance through physical movement and emotional integration, working to dissipate tension throughout the body and regulate the nervous system)

• Treating yourself to a clean blow dry bar

• Relaxing with a detoxifying foot soak

Sure, we might be a smidge biased, but if any of those sound good to you, we encourage you to consider an R+R membership. Just like a fitness studio makes it easier to tackle your exercise goals, our memberships are carefully curated to help you heal, optimize, and thrive in the realm of relaxation, restoration, and self-care.

And as an R+R member, you’re able to maximize our offerings (those listed above and so many more!) for a fabulous discount.  

5 Tips for Sticking to Your New Year’s Resolution

So, cheers! The days of abandoned new year’s resolutions are no longer! 

Truly, it doesn’t matter if your resolution involves movement, self-care, or something else entirely. Here are a few things that will help you stick to your new year’s resolution, no matter what it may be: 

1. Stick to the Small Things

As we mentioned, our brains aren’t designed to handle drastic amounts of change at once. To see real progress, we must be patient and grow ourselves over time. 

If your new year’s resolutions are incredibly lofty and far-reaching, consider reframing them to make them more accessible. If you live a relatively sedentary lifestyle, your movement journey can begin simply by taking daily walks around the neighborhood. 

Real change is made in small doses. Consider the daily habits or challenges that are holding you back, and then commit to changing one of those. 

2. Find Ways to Measure Your Goals

It is easy to lose heart chasing after goals that don’t seem to be making much progress. Therefore, it is so important to make sure that your goals are specific and measurable. 

This could mean anything from running a particular 5k that you have circled on the calendar to reading a certain number of books by a particular date. 

Being able to mark your progress is a fabulous motivator, and rewarding yourself along the way is a great way of fostering positive reinforcement.

3. Trust Yourself 

Now isn’t that a lovely concept? Self-trust is a beautiful component of goal-making, as goals are made by you, for you, and through you!

When it comes to setting goals and intentions, you know yourself the best. You know what you are capable of. If you don’t think that you’re going to be able to meditate for 30 minutes every morning, then don’t promise yourself that you will. 

If we want to accomplish our goals, we must believe in ourselves. Self-belief is achieved when we successfully do the things that we say we will. And we’re able to do what we say when we don’t ask more of ourselves than what we are capable of.  

4. Cultivate a Culture of Optimism

How are you ever going to achieve those goals if you keep telling yourself that you aren’t? Our minds are smarter than we give them credit, and our self-talk plays a significant role in what we can and can’t accomplish. 

Making real change in one’s life is a long, hard road that is probably littered with negativity and less-than-ideal circumstances. When these obstacles start rearing their ugly heads, it is important to focus on the positives. (No matter how dark, dim, and dreary a situation, we promise they are there.) 

Framing your goals in positive language supports a growth mindset and encourages the belief that anything is possible if you work at it. This in turn sparks motivation, positive self-perception, and helps build character strength. 

On the flip side, pessimism is — are you ready? — a choice. I know we probably sound like your mama, but it’s true. Negativity will only get in the way of your goals if you let it. 

5. Invent Challenges for Yourself

Practically speaking, inventing challenges for yourself is a terrific way to ensure your dreams become reality. Not only that, but it strengthens your ability to see and do. 

As you go about your days, challenge yourself to do something small that works towards your goal. If your goal is to save money, challenge yourself to spend no more than a certain amount at the grocery. If you’re looking to eat a bit healthier, try preparing your favorite treat sans sugar. 

Challenges such as these strengthen your willpower and determination. Regularly practicing them will help you form the habits necessary for accomplishing your goals. 

What Is Valuable to You?

Oftentimes, our new year’s resolutions reflect desires that are near and dear to our hearts. Here at R+R, we’re all about full-body healing that is tailored to your personal needs. 

All our services are synergistic in nature, meaning there truly is no wrong place to start! Give our services page a quick browse, and we’ll help you navigate the best place for YOU to start on your wellness journey.