We all know how it goes. You make good food choices, prevent temptations, and work out every morning only to discover that on Friday or Saturday night, your willpower goes out the window. Somehow you begin noshing on chicken fingers and guzzling beer then snoozing through your Spinning class the next morning. Sound familiar?
The weekend sure may pose a challenge to our well-being and weight loss objectives. Why? Well, during the week, we tend to plan ahead and follow a schedule. We get up, eat breakfast, head to work, eat snacks that are planned during our breaks, enjoy lunch at the identical scheduled time daily, and find ways to squeeze in a little workout. A lot of us even package a whole day’s worth of food and do fairly well at making healthy choices day to day. Throughout the weekend, it may seem that all bets are off. Without a set schedule, one weekend can easily reverse a complete week of healthy habits. But weekends don’t have to be this way. In fact, weekends are a fantastic time to practice healthful behaviours since you usually have more time to do so.
So, how can you change your unhealthy weekend habits? A good start would be to start incorporating these healthy weekend tips!
1. Squeeze in a more exercise. The best aspect of the weekend is that you’ve got free time. So while you may not be able to squeeze into a 30-minute run over lunch during the week, you may use the weekend to go for a longer run in a beautiful park nearby. Or visit the gym to try a new hour-long class. Even try something different with friends, put on your basketball singlets and have a friendly game at the park, you will get more exercise than you think. Use the weekend for a time to refresh your workout and get more action in without feeling hurried.
2. Eat like it’s a weekday. When you consider it, it doesn’t really make much sense to consume differently over the weekend than you do during the week, especially if your food options throughout the week keep you fuelled and energised. It can be easy to skip meals on the weekend and then compensate for it afterwards by overindulging at dinner. So, make a point to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner while sitting down. Pack snacks for when you are on the go and follow a schedule just like you would through the week. Your body will thank you!
3. Stick with your usual sleep schedule. Are you a person who has a firm bedtime during the week simply to keep up late and sleep in on the weekends? Changing your sleep routines could throw off your program and could also interfere with weight loss. Just think of all those times that you stayed up later than usual, got hungry and ended up eating something unhealthy!
4. Get outside. Since the majority of us work indoors during the daytime hours, the weekend gives a wonderful chance to get outside, watch sunlight and connect to nature. Going outside may boost the body’s production of vitamin D, plus studies demonstrate that people are happier when they invest some time out in nature. So, get out there and enjoy the great outdoors!
5. Fuel to weekday success. Analyse whether you have under-eaten, or pushed yourself too hard during the week. If that’s the case, come Friday, your body could possibly be tired and hungry, which can cause overeating and under-exercising within the weekend. Don’t forget to practice moderation daily, exercising and eating in a way that you could sustain for the long haul–not just a couple of days or months.
6. Limit your beverages. While many people forgo the soda, wine, and beer throughout the week we loosen up over the weekend and then drink a lot of our calories. Just remember that the calories in drinks can accumulate quickly if you’re not careful. Go easy on the beverages, or try healthier drink swaps should you can’t forgo that fancy coffee or sweet tea on Saturday! Practice moderation when it comes to alcohol, also. Just because you’re “great” during the week doesn’t indicate that it is OK to compensate for that with one night of all-out binge drinking. Here’s what you want to know about fitting alcohol into a healthy diet.
7. Plan for comfort. The majority of us are busy throughout the week and even our weekends seem to develop into non-stop errands, chores, work and travelling. So how can you find the time to relax? Just take some opportunity to schedule some downtime for at least an hour or two. Do your favourite hobby, go get rejuvenating facials with friends, see a dermatologist for enhancing injectables for a new look or even meditate alone, whatever will make you feel refreshed.
8. Weigh on Monday morning. Should you need extra help being answerable over the weekend, then program your weekly weigh-in for Monday morning. Understanding you’ll step on the scale at the start of the week can enable you to stay accountable and be more aware of your weekend decisions.
9. Strategy for the week ahead. What better way to stay healthy on the weekend than by using your extra time to keep to set yourself up for success? Simply take a Sunday afternoon or evening to plan your foods, hit the grocery store, and do a little big batch cooking for the week ahead. That way, when your active week becomes even busier, you will be ahead of the curve and able to stay on track! Don’t forget about laundering your fitness clothing and basketball apparel from the game, packing your gym bag, and getting ready for workouts, too.
