I love Fridays! It’s the end of the week and I like to start the weekend off right with a great workout. If you are like most of us, the weekend means relaxing and splurging on some “not so healthy food choices.” But there’s nothing wrong with that; life is all about balance. So how do you adjust your goals on the weekend so that you don’t destroy all the grueling work you put in during the week?
I don’t know about you, but I love to eat and enjoy working out; it makes me feel good about myself. Sure it would be a lot easier on the weekends to lay on the couch and eat junk food. But what about all your killer workouts, planning your meals, and eating healthy all week? Surely you don’t want to destroy that progress over the weekend.
To keep on track with my goals, I know realistically that I’m going to be splurging a little on the weekend. Therefore it makes sense for me to offset the extra calories with extra activity.
Tip # 1: Increase your activity level. I typically get up early on the weekends and try to do at least a couple of miles on the treadmill. If I don’t have time for that, I simply do a “high-intensity interval training workout” such as this from: Muscle and Fitness
–> Perform circuit two times.
–> Rest as little as possible.30 Bodyweight squats
10 Elevated pushups (feet on a bench)
30 Lunges (total, not per side)
10 Inverted rows (lying on the ground underneath a fixed bar)
30 Side-to-side hops (total)
10 Inverted rows
30 Close-grip pushups (either on knees or standard)
10 Underhand inverted rows
30 Jumping jacks
10 Burpees
30 Diagonal lunges (total, not per side)
Either rest for 1-2 minutes or jog in place for 1-2 minutes (repeat)
These type of workouts are super effective and burns loads of calories. Dr Josh Axe reports that High Intensity Training
Research from the past decade continues to report that high intensity interval training actually balances both leptin and ghrelin, which increases fat burn and weight loss. In fact, burst training is one of the best ways to best manage unhealthy hunger behavior and maximize ghrelin and leptin to lose weight.
I also try to make sure I use my activity tracker on the weekends to help motivate me to get my steps in (either by moving more throughout the day or from my workouts).
Read my article below for the benefits of tracking your steps on a daily basis:
Do You Need An Activity Tracker?
Tip #2: Drink more water. Stay hydrated on the weekend. This simple tip will curb your appetite, help prevent dehydration, and give you energy.
Just check out the benefits for drinking water- especially number 7: Healthline.com reports in 7 Science-Based Health Benefits of Drinking Enough Water
In two studies, drinking half a liter (17 ounces) of water was shown to increase metabolism by 24-30% for up to 1.5 hours (26, 27).
This means that drinking 2 liters of water every day can increase your total energy expenditure by up to 96 calories per day.
The timing is important too, and drinking water half an hour before meals is the most effective. It can make you feel more full, so that you eat fewer calories (28, 29).
In one study, dieters who drank half a liter of water before meals lost 44% more weight, over a period of 12 weeks (30).
It’s easy to keep on track with your water intake by just following these rules:
Drink water: Upon arising, with morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack and with the evening meal. This schedule will keep you hydrated and help prevent overeating.
So when the weekend rolls around, enjoy yourself. But stay on track by scheduling your water breaks and increasing your activity. Take a walk at lunch, park further away from the office, or take the stairs. It all adds up.
If you don’t have time to fit in a workout, try to break the workouts into ten-minute segments. Ten minutes in the morning upon arising and then another mini-workout on your lunch hour or after work. It’s all about priorities and staying on track with your goals.
Enjoy your weekend!
Snowbird In Training 