If you’ve taken one of my fitness classes or attended one of my seminars, you might have heard me say, “Be careful not to take 5 big steps forward M-F just to take 2 giant leaps backwards on the weekend.”
When Some start with an extra-fancy coffee on Fridays. Others start with a festive lunch-date on Friday or happy hour right after work. For a lot of people, the weekend starts on Friday at 5:00 pm.
Considering that Friday and Saturday nights often go longer and end later than weekdays, by percentage, the weekends might just pull almost as much weight (in hours) as weekdays. #realitycheck
Friday through Sunday is 43% of the week!
Many of my clients think like this (and it’s dangerous): their mentality is to work out hard all week and log carefully and then on the weekend, just eat and drink whatever they want. That can backfire as well because the “cheat day” or mindless eating ends up totaling wayyyy more calories than they meant for it to. (Especially after 30 years old…just sayin’.)
I propose an eyes-wide-open, fully present mindset, whether it’s the weekend or not.
I’m not picking on your weekends to be a buzzkill, I promise! I for one, get the weekend started on Thursday because that’s my weekly date night ❤️ with my hubby.
But years ago, I had very rigid thinking. My natural instinct was to frown upon myself for splurging, and I eventually realized I was even subconsciously talking myself out of occasional treats with a “that’s for them, not for you” attitude.
Yesterday, when I enjoyed more than one Reese’s cup while packing snacks for a quick 1-night getaway to celebrate my Mom’s 70th Birthday, I could hear that faint voice saying, “You shouldn’t be eating this.”
I quickly replaced that rigid thinking with a stronger, more balanced voice that said, “Yum! I better log this so I can round out my day wisely and win the day” (whether it’s the weekend or not).
What changed? 3 things!
- Many years ago, I acknowledged that my over-righteous food goals were sending me into a restrict-relief-restrict-relief cycle. I’d over-restrict, listening to that voice I mentioned earlier…and then when I got exhausted from so much restricting, I’d splurge for relief (but not strategically or mindfully). Both were pretty dang miserable and sucked the joy out of wellness, which is really what I was after all along.
Acknowledgement led to daily rewording my self-talk. I got good at this in my RESOLVE group — the online support group I created for those of us who want to maintain our weight, but believe there is more to wellness than weight management. RESOLVE is not just about the weight you lose (or keep off), it’s about the wellness you gain. It’s 24/7/365 and it’s such a happy place where people are refreshingly REAL and wellness is just plain fun…and you are invited by the way! - I started lifting heavy weights regularly and built short, intense intervals into my workouts: my metabolism totally changed! 🔥 I chunked the scale and my new-and-improved metric was gaining strength. Instead of watching the numbers on the scale, I watched the numbers on the dumbbells. 💪🏾 Game-changer y’all!!!
- I decided to follow 2 principles at every meal and snack:
➡️ My Triple P principle (#PPP): Prioritize Protein & Produce. Whole foods and a plate that shows my priorities, with lots of colorful, fiber-rich, satisfying foods, limiting processed foods that don’t satisfy me as much as they make me want more. 🤷🏻♀️
➡️ My Triple S principle (#SSS): Strategically Savor Slowly…especially when it comes to splurges. No, I don’t mean I “planned myself out of a good time,” but instead I strategically plan in some worthwhile splurges that I really enjoy, instead of getting sidelined by hasty, mindless choices that derail my progress. Personally I don’t log every day, but IMO, when you’re splurging, that’s when you should be logging. It’s not to restrict, rather to be aware so you’re not sorry later.
So, what about you? What 3 things do YOU need to do so that you can:
✅ win the day with meals and snacks that fuel your body
✅ move and play whenever you can to manage stress and maintain muscle
✅ have a healthy, balanced mindset so you enjoy life to the fullest, weekends or not!
You’re welcome to adopt my “3 things” :). #bettertogether
Notice 2 out of 3 of them are largely about self-awareness. It’s the key to getting wellness right, my friends. And the secret-sauce? It’s accountability! If you could use some (everyone needs it!), I’d love to cheer you on daily in my fabulous RESOLVE group. Check it out here!
