Are Weekends Ruining Your Progress?

We all love weekends.

For most people the weekend means time off of work, time to relax, and time to let loose. But what does that mean in terms of your health and fitness goals? Are you on track all week with your nutrition and exercise but then it’s all downhill come the weekend?

The occasional weekend where we eat and drink more than normal will happen. Of course they will because we are all human. There are vacations, holidays, special celebrations, all of which should be celebrated and enjoyed. AND, when looking at the big picture, those occasional weekends really won’t matter.

HOWEVER…

If these weekends are happening on a more regular basis, it could be what’s holding you back from making progress on your health and fitness goals. What we do consistently over time is what determines our progress. Keeping your goals in mind each day is key. BUT this does not mean we can’t enjoy our weekends.

It just means we need strategies to find the balance we need to enjoy our life while still making progress on our goals.

• It may look like relaxing on the sofa Saturday night but doing something more active on Sunday
• It may look like eating out or getting takeout one weekend night and cooking at home the rest of our weekend meals
• It may look like limiting yourself to one or two drinks on a night out and having soda water the rest of the evening
• It may look like skipping the bread basket but still enjoying dessert
• It may look like going to bed earlier on Friday because you know Saturday will be a late one
• It may look like picking one snack for the movies instead of two
• It may look like forgiving yourself for over indulging and getting back on track the next day instrad of dwelling on it

A balanced approach will look different for everyone. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to achieving health and fitness goals. But everyone’s plan should be flexible and sustainable. No one wants to live a life of restriction nor do they need to in order to get the results they want. You need specific goals, a clear plan, patience, and belief in yourself that you can achieve all of your goals while still enjoying your life.