So, you’ve smashed your week of training, work, meals, nutrition, health, and fitness, and you’ve been on a maximum productivity level with regards to your goals. And now Friday evening is looming, and the anxiety about the weekend and not “f*cking up” starts to kick in. Does this sound familiar?
Weekends have historically always been a difficult or challenging “variable” to contend with when it comes to health and fitness. A lot of us have been socialised into loosening up on food rules over the weekend; going out for food, planning “cheat meals” on weekends, growing up seeing parents “overdo” “bad things (food, drink)” on weekends, and learning that “unhealthy foods” are “acceptable” to consume between Friday at 5pm and Sunday evening. Therefore, it really isn’t anyone’s fault that the default pattern to break is one of societally accepted binge-restrict cycles! I mean, think about it – if you struggle to not “overindulge” on weekends and yet you’ve learnt from a young age that this is the done thing, is it even surprising that you find it difficult? Of course it isn’t! It makes perfect sense. I’ve also found that the change in schedule most people experience over the weekend also presents a significant challenge when it comes to behaving in ways that are aligned to one’s health and fitness goals.
There is a lot more that I’d like to say about how unhelpful it is to only allow ourselves to have pizza between Fridays and Sundays, but that isn’t the point of this article. The point of this article is that adhering to health behaviour change over the weekends is a lot harder than it is during the week – and yet, if it’s something that is important to you, knowing how to tackle these tricky situations is incredibly important (all whilst understanding that they’re not of your choosing, and that there’s nothing wrong with you for finding this hard!).
Most of the time, you’ll hear influencers tell you that you simply need to “get on with it”, because if you “want it enough”, you’ll be able to overcome these challenges through simple willpower – but it isn’t as easy as that, is it? Therefore, here are some tangible action points that you can implement in order to make weekends easier and more enjoyable for yourself, guilt and shame free!
(Please note that all the advice provided below is free of context, so please assess your own situation before applying any of it to yourself. If you have any additional questions or would like to work on developing a personalised way to tackle weekends, please feel free to enquire about working with me).
Struggle – adherence to diet
Firstly, if adhering to a specified way of eating is important/imperative for you over the weekend (e.g., competition/photoshoot prep, dieting), this might be a good time to swap some of your food choices and jazz it up. Having slightly different foods to what you’re used to having during the week – whilst keeping in with your calories and macros – can make a huge psychological difference, and support adherence. If you don’t work on weekends, you could try changing your training time too so that your dinner meal coincides with your post-workout meal, which will probably be higher in calories. It’s okay if you put adherence above optimal nutrition too once a week. For example, you might choose to make some homemade burgers and chips over the weekend – will it be the same as chicken, rice, and broccoli (yawn)? NO. But will it help you with your adherence long-term? Probably.
A second approach you could choose to adopt – if you are tracking calories – is that of tracking weekly calorie intake as opposed to daily calorie intake. For example, let’s assume that you currently eat 2,000kcal/day, which would total at 14,000kcal per week. If you find that you are consistently hungrier on weekends and/or struggle to adhere to that number, you could try eating 1,750kcal/day Mon-Fri and then have 2625kcal on a Saturday and Sunday. In this scenario, just be mindful of the possibility of it triggering the binge/restrict mindset: that’s not the goal here (obviously). The way you want to practice thinking about it is simply that it supports your goals better. Weekends aren’t “cheat days” – they’re just days where food might change a little, and this approach could help you adhere to your total weekly deficit.
Both of these changes promote adherence by making some subtle changes to your routine to support the change in routine you might experience over the weekend. However, please do note that these examples above are relevant to people who feel psychologically safe tracking calories. If this does not feel appropriate for you, please do not follow this advice.
Struggle – a fear of relaxing
It’s crazy to think of how many of us look forward to winding down over the weekend, only to find ourselves fidgeting on the sofa because we feel like we should be doing something. Either that, or we’ve looked forward to the weekend and then we can’t stop thinking about the impeding anxiety over Monday being around the corner. And yes, you guessed it – Monday comes along and we regret not chilling out enough because now we’re extra stressed and extra anxious.
Firstly, it’s worth highlighting that these struggles are normal. Many of us also find that with less to do over the weekend, all those thoughts we were suppressing by being busy during the week come looming out the dark, ready to sit with us uninvited. So, what can we do about these situations?
Give yourself permission to take a break
The grind harder mentality has really done some serious damage on our ability to wind down and relax. Since when did rest and digest become a deplorable state to be in?
As hard as it can be to rest, what I’d implore you to do is ask yourself what’s getting in the way: what do you fear happening if you do allow yourself to take a break? What is your mind telling you is the unavoidable consequence that will result from you resting?
These are not always easy questions to contend with, as some challenging thoughts and emotions can show up, but it’s important to address these too. If we don’t know what’s blocking us and if we don’t address that block, we will inevitably end up burnt out, which is not an ideal situation to be in – it definitely doesn’t feel healthy! If it helps, make a list of the things your mind is urging you to do immediately in the here and now, put it aside, and come back to it when the rest period (Monday!?) is over.
Allow yourself to notice the anxiety of the week ahead
Let’s face it, not all of us have the luxury of working a job we love. We obviously cannot just walk away from our jobs, so if you’re in a position of feeling constantly worried and avoidant of the week ahead, why don’t you ensure you enjoy your weekends?
For those who work 9-5 Monday to Friday, training on both a Saturday and a Sunday can be a great way to enjoy the weekend. You have more time to be in the gym, you don’t have to rush out in the morning or fight in a busy jungle of people in the evening. You can also add in other activities such as going for coffee with friends, walks, and if you are dieting, there are many diet-friendly activities you can do (crazy golf, cinema,…?). Remember, your schedule needs to work for you, and needs to be the most optimal for your own circumstances.
The bottom line here is that, as above, if we let ourselves wind up even further over the weekend, we will end up burning out. Chronic stress will get in the way of your willingness to do the things that are important to you, such as working out to gain muscle mass and/or lose body fat, getting fitter to improve your health markers (…), whichever your goal. Similarly, if you find that having more alone time during the weekend becomes a stressor due to darker emotions showing up, use this time to reach out to someone, or do some personal development work that can help you manage these thoughts and feelings when they do emerge. It’s not about getting rid of them, but it’s about ensuring they don’t stop you from doing what matters: whether that is resting to recover or going to the gym to reach your goals.
Altogether, although weekends can be challenging when it comes to staying consistent and moving towards health and fitness goals, there are always going to be alternatives and options that will make your life easier. For the most part, unless you’re a professional bodybuilder and get paid to go to the gym, ensure that this lifestyle is always in line with and not in opposition to everything else that matters. Building an epic physique, feeling fit as a fiddle, (…) is awesome, but it’s even better when it is done without compromising one’s mental, emotional and social health.
