3 tips for a healthier weekend
It’s normal to want to loosen things up at the weekend and enjoy yourself after a long week of work and commitments. If your week has been hectic, or you’ve had a lot on your plate at work, it’s understandable and normal to want to skip the gym and your workouts and indulge more by going out for dinner with friends or family and enjoying drinks and cocktails.
I coach my nutrition clients on the importance of living a balanced lifestyle, not a restrictive one. You’re more likely to stick to a health and fitness program if it becomes a part of your lifestyle versus your program feeling like a chore or a restriction on your ability to have fun and enjoy yourself.
Balance is key.
Being fit and following a training program should not rule your life. It should become part of your life. And ideally, if you’re making healthy food choices 70-80% of the time and training consistently 2-4 times each week, then you won’t have the same urge to go all out at the weekends, because you haven’t had to restrict yourself during the week.
You don’t have to stop having fun or avoid social situations just to stay on track! Think about it, you don’t go to the gym one time and then wake up in shape. Just like you can’t expect to lose weight after consuming just one salad! You aren’t going to be suddenly strong because you did a few squats and push-ups. It takes time! You must work hard repeatedly, and consistently to achieve results.
So, the same applies to the weekend. Going out for dinner and enjoying a 3-course meal isn’t going to suddenly make you fat. Drinking 1-2 cocktails isn’t going to make you suddenly gain weight. It doesn’t work like that! To un-do your training efforts, you would have to be doing these things repeatedly and consistently to throw you off plan.
It’s important to remember that fitness is a lifestyle. Not a fad. If you’re putting in the work consistently, then it’s perfectly normal to loosen things up a little over the weekend and you shouldn’t need to worry about it sabotaging your efforts. Keeping this in mind, here are 3 quick tips for a more balanced weekend to help you stay on track:
1. Go for a walk or get in some movement. Even just a 30-minute walk outdoors can help to burn calories, keep you fit and lift your mood and energy. Get outside and do something active. Especially if you’re mostly sedentary during the week at work. It’s easier now that summer is here, and the days are longer. So, get outside and walk! Take a friend with you if you want some company or get some headphones and listen to some music. Walking is underrated in terms of health benefits, so be sure to increase your steps and get walking!
2. Try healthy eating 70 to 80% of the time. This doesn’t mean sticking to salads and bowls of fruit. It means to be sensible and consider your portion sizes. For example, if you want a pizza, have some! If you’re on a weight loss plan, you might want to eat half instead of the whole pizza. Or if you fancy some ice cream, enjoy it. But perhaps don’t eat the entire tub if fat loss is a goal. You don’t need to avoid your favourite foods just because you’re on a training program. You can still eat things like chocolate and cake and lose weight. It’s all about balance.
3. Prep for the week ahead. This doesn’t mean spending all weekend in the kitchen doing meal prep! This could mean setting aside 30-60 minutes on Sunday to either prep some lunches or meals for the start of the week, so you avoid spending money on overpriced lunches outside, or grabbing higher calorie foods for snacks because you haven’t prepped nutritious or filling meals. It might also mean getting your gym kit ready for a Monday workout. It might mean doing some stretches or pre-booking training sessions or classes for the week ahead. Consider setting your alarms a little earlier during the week so you make it to the gym or get in a short walk before or to work.
Remember, the weekend is there for you to relax and rejuvenate. Don’t feel guilty for enjoying meals out or for going over your calorie targets. It’s important to enjoy these things as part of a healthy and balanced lifestyle. If you need my help staying on track, or getting started on a new fitness journey, get in touch! I’d love to help.
