Active Recovery.

Newton's First Law of Motion:

"An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force."

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When it comes to recovery rides and whether or not they actually do anything of real good, I refer to this law. The reasons are simple:

• An object at rest = fat. Fat is hard to move, so it plants itself in front of the TV with a big tub o' simple carbs and doesn't move.
• An object in motion = muscle. While I don't have much experience in this regard, it's my understanding that muscles are the things that propel you to do stuff... like move.
• The same speed/direction = Newton never saw me ride.
• An unbalanced force = my life.

So, I kit up, get on the trainer, and bore myself to tears for a while. I don't even turn on the fan, because I don't break a sweat if I'm doing it right.
   

Pro Tip: If you want to lower testosterone levels and therefore decrease your urge to work too hard during a trainer recovery session, put on any episode of the Gilmore Girls.

 
I could probably get more effective training adaptations by getting in an extra hour or so of sleep, but then I would get out of the habit of moving. Once out of the habit, it's very hard to get moving again, because... fat. I have enough working against me already.
  
So I lightly spin my way into a coma, resisting the urge to "do something". During later workouts, where I'm actually required to put forth some sort of effort, I'll fondly reflect upon the tedium as "the good old days". That's kinda how it works for me.
  
The grass is always greener.