WOMEN’ S HEALTH
The Power
BY MILOU STAUB
IN A WORLD THAT CELEBRATES HUSTLE, A NEW STRENGTH TREND IS EMERGING – REST. JEFF FITNESS CEO DOMINIQUE LECLERCQ EXPLAINS WHY RECOVERY ISN’ T A BREAK FROM TRAINING BUT THE KEY TO BUILDING BALANCE, STRENGTH, AND LONG-TERM PERFORMANCE.
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quiet rebellion is emerging in the wellness industry. While some still proudly wear the“ no-days-off” badge, more women are recognising that skipping a fitness session can be the cleverest move they make all week. Strength isn’ t only built in motion; it’ s also built in the pause.
Dominique Leclercq, CEO of JEFF Fitness, describes recovery as“ a performance-enhancing strategy.” When we train, she explains, we cause tiny tears in our muscle fibres, which triggers the body’ s repair process.“ Without rest and recovery, muscles can’ t rebuild or grow. We risk injury, fatigue, and eventually plateauing. Recovery isn’ t the opposite of training; it’ s part of it.”
For women, the hormonal cycle makes rest even more important. Oestrogen and progesterone fluctuate during the menstrual cycle, affecting energy and performance.“ Overtraining can disrupt hormonal balance,” Leclercq warns,“ which may cause irregular cycles, poor sleep, and mood changes.” Chronically high cortisol, the stress hormone, also suppresses reproductive hormones and thyroid function, slowing metabolism and affecting mood.
Sleep, she says, is the body’ s most underrated recovery tool.“ Aim for seven to nine hours. It’ s when growth hormones clock in, cortisol clock out, and your system resets.” Good sleep hygiene involves maintaining a cool, dark room, limiting screen time, and sticking to consistent sleep hours. A few solid nights can transform both training results and mood.
Nutrition is the other silent partner in recovery.“ Protein rebuilds, carbs refuel, fats calm inflammation, and hydration keep everything running,” says Leclercq.“ Build every meal around protein, about 20g to 30g every four hours and don’ t skimp on healthy fats or water.” Restricting food or calories after exercise doesn’ t show discipline; it signals deprivation, which pushes the body further into stress mode.
“ WITHOUT REST AND RECOVERY, MUSCLES CAN’ T REBUILD OR GROW.”
Then there’ s mindset.“ When we train hard, we activate the sympathetic nervous system; fight or flight,” Leclercq explains.“ Rest activates the parasympathetic system; rest and digest. It lowers cortisol and supports recovery.” Simple practices such as breathwork, a quiet walk, or restorative yoga help reset the body’ s balance.
She also discusses what she calls the“ burnout loop”: cortisol levels increase, sleep is disrupted, hormones become imbalanced, motivation declines, and you push harder to rectify it, only to collapse again.“ To break the loop, you have to rest,” she says.“ Women equate doing more with success, but recovery is doing more, just differently.”
In a culture that glorifies exhaustion, resting is a revolutionary act. Muscles grow in silence, not noise. The new flex isn’ t how hard you push; it’ s how well you recover. IB
46 INBOUND SA / DECEMBER 2025