Looking back at a the past week you may be feeling pretty good about how well you stuck to your plan. Hopefully you’re celebrating that you totally killed it this week.
You got your movement in and your body is feeling good. You got good rest. You didn’t eat ALL.THE.FOOD. and what you did eat was satisfying and enjoyable to you. You didn’t overindulge and just overall, your week has been on point.
Now here comes the weekend…
While many people assume it’s some sort of crazy-free-for-all and opportunity to have a ‘cheat day’ – whatever that means – and do whatever they think they can’t do during the week, I am going to challenge you to think differently.
Your weekend may look a lot different than your weekday, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a healthy routine.
It’s not a big deal if you occasionally, go off plan on a weekend or overindulge, but if you make a habit of it, it can really add up. Even if you stick to your plan and eat healthily and get your movement in during the week, you can gain up to 12lbs in one year just by eating an extra 400 calories on every Saturday and Sunday.
Plus, overindulging can make it even harder to get back to things on Monday. So, why not stick to a plan all 7 days a week.
Sure, sounds easier said than done, and that’s why we’ve put together 5 hacks to avoid sabotaging all the hard work you put in.
1. Map Out Your Weekend
Just as you plan out your week, plan what your weekends look like too. Will you be going out to eat? Do you have social plans with friends? How can you find a way to move and be active on the weekend? Will you have time to prepare meals or go shopping?
2. Move on the Weekends
Working out or just making time to move on the weekend will help you feel good and productive and you’ll be less likely to sabotage yourself. Also, on weekends you may have more opportunity to try something you can’t make the time for during the week, like going for a hike, playing a sport, going for a longer run or walk, trying a new class, visiting that climbing gym or throwing back to the skating rink.
3. Communicate Your Goals
Tell your family and friends what you are doing and ask them to help support your decisions to take are of yourself. You talking about your intentions will help you speak it into existence and for your loved ones to help. Also, if you have a coach and you’re struggling with things on the weekend, let them know and use them as another layer of accountability.
4. Treat Yourself Once a Week
Instead of feeling like you need a ‘cheat day’ or like something is off limits except on weekends, give yourself freedom to treat yourself once or twice a week to something in moderation. All too often we ‘break the rules’ or ‘cheat’ and feel like if we’ve already done that, we might as well do whatever else we want and start fresh Monday. And then the cycle starts back over. Just enjoy the treat, savor the bites or sips you have, and then move on towards your goal.
5. Choose Alcohol Wisely
I’m not saying you shouldn’t ever have a drink (how about maybe 2-4 spread across a week), but the facts are, alcohol has an effect on your body. Depending on your goals, I’m guessing that regular consumption of alcohol isn’t going to get you closer to your goal. If you’re going to drink, look for drinks lower in calories and sugars.
Bottom line is, you have the power to control the outcome of your entire week.
Everything may not go as planned, and it may not always be easy, but if you just keep doing the best that you can, you’ll be able to look back with no regrets.
Enjoy your weekend!
