I remember when I first got into “strength” training, I was going to a 5 pm boot camp class (now you understand the quotes lol) almost every night.
My favorite class was Monday evening.
Every week during my Monday class, the instructor would stand in front of us before we got started and would say …
“Alright … it’s time to work off those weekend calories!”
It was like music to my ears.
Anyone else have trouble on weekends?
At that point, I was full on in weekend warrior mode.
Drinking excessively, eating like an asshole …
But, every Monday I got a chance to start over and hear those beautiful words that made me feel better about my overindulgences.
Being the slow learner that I am, it took me waaaay too long to realize that I was making absolutely zero progress.
And, it didn’t matter how perfect I was all week.
And trust me … I was dialed the fuck in.
Very low calorie. Never even a morsel of food off track.
But, every Friday night the wheels flew off and I would go HAM all the way through Sunday evening because guess what …
Monday is another opportunity to start over.
Now, you may not be a total animal every weekend like I was …
But, the weekends are a struggle for many of us.
It makes sense too …
Less routine, less structure, more social events, more flexibility.
And I’m sorry, but the whole concept of “just treating your weekends like the weekdays” is total bullshit.
If anyone gives you that advice, tell them to remove the stick from their ass and try having some fun in life.
But I digress.
Anyway, knowing the weekends may be holding you back …
What do we do about it?
It’s actually pretty simple.
For starters, stop being so restrictive on the weekdays.
Never once did I imagine that being so meticulous and restrictive all week was causing my epic binges every weekend.
But, that was a huge part of the problem.
It takes a whole lot of mental energy, discipline, and willpower to be perfect all week and avoid certain foods.
So by the time the weekend hits … you’re tapped out.
That willpower battery is drained and all bets are off.
Here’s the deal … averages over time are more important than what you do in a given day.
Therefore, you have to look at the week or month as a whole.
So, it’s totally fine to give yourself more flexibility on the weekends and eat a little bit less during the week if that works best for your schedule and lifestyle.
However, that should not be confused with trying to be perfect all week and not allowing yourself any fun or freedom.
The second piece of advice for weekends … have SOME kind of a plan.
Often times the weekends lack routine or structure.
Plans can change in an instant.
So, many of us go in blind because we think that we CAN’T plan.
Which isn’t true.
There are certain things you can do regardless.
Even if that means you’re going to get in 10,000 steps and eat protein at each meal.
That’s a plan.
You may not be able to check those boxes every single weekend but remember … it’s all about consistency, not perfection.
Having SOME structure or game plan on the bare minimum that you want to accomplish each weekend will help.
Lastly, give a little to get a lot.
You’d be amazed what can happen when you make some minor sacrifices that likely won’t impact anything … except your results.
When I finally realized that my animalistic tendencies every weekend were causing me to spin my wheels …
I dialed back my drinking and dining out.
But, not as dramatically as you might think.
Rather than dining out for almost every meal over the weekend, I cut it back to a couple meals.
Rather than drinking several drinks on Friday and Saturday, I cut it back to a couple of drinks each night.
Some nights it was 1 drink or none at all. And, some weekends I wanted more so I would allow myself that flexibility.
Those changes alone made a world of difference.
3 steps to a balanced lifestyle approach
These are actually the exact 3 steps I took to find a balanced approach that worked for my lifestyle.
It’ll look different for everyone when it comes to the specifics but these general ideas will always work.
I started to eat more during the week and gave myself more freedom so I didn’t feel so restricted heading into the weekend.
I had a checklist for the weekends that I still maintain to this day … steps, water, 1 workout, and protein with each meal.
I gave a little to gain a lot … dialed back the drinking and dining out.
Keep in mind that some weekends I don’t get a workout in.
Some weekends I don’t hit my steps.
Some weekends I drink a lot lol.
The point is that MOST of the time I’m consistent.
A LIFESTYLE approach to maintain your results
Follow those 3 tips in a manner that feels right for you and you’ll be well on your way to having a LIFESTYLE approach that allows you to maintain your results while still enjoying your life.
And, by the way, this is one of the main things we address with our 1:1 clients.
They often come to us feeling restricted and handcuffed by their diet.
So, we immediately work to release those shackles and give them the freedom that they deserve.
They often comment within the first couple of weeks that a giant weight has been lifted off their shoulders.
And, not surprisingly, the actual weight starts to come off their bodies.
So, if you’re tired of being controlled by your plan …
It may be time to do things differently.
If you want to stop stressing about social events or having anxiety any time you can’t be 100% dialed in …
We can help.
Just shoot me a message on Facebook.
I opened up a few call times for next week. We can have a chat to make sure it’s a good fit on both sides and if we both agree that is, we can get started right away.
