How do you actually recover on a rest day?

Rest days are not the same as doing nothing, and complete inactivity often leaves people feeling stiffer. What supports recovery: light movement such as walking or easy cycling, which increases blood flow without adding load; adequate protein spread through the day; and sleep, which is where the majority of adaptation actually happens. What helps less than people think: elaborate stretching routines, massage guns and ice baths, which mostly affect how you feel rather than how you recover. Alcohol is the most underrated disruptor, measurably impairing both sleep quality and muscle repair.