Weekends, we all live for them in some sense. But we can’t let them be the reason we quit!

It’s been a crazy week – work, kids, activities, cooking, cleaning, meetings, you know the feeling. Friday at 5pm gets here and you are ready to relax and enjoy the weekend. I’m right there with you!

The thing we run into when it comes to our health is quitting on everythng we are intentional about during the week on the weekends. 

Here’s what I mean. During the week you are intentional about your nutrition, getting your workout or movement each day, drinking your water, getting adequate sleep, and treating your mind in a healthy way. And then the weekend gets here and BAM! – all of that goes out the window.

What you don’t know or realize is 28.5% of your year is made of weekend! That’s almost ⅓ of the year! When you look at it that way, you can see why it’s hard to move toward your goals when you treat the weekends like a free for all. 

So, how do you fix this? There are a few things we can focus on that will help us view weekends as any other day of the week when it comes to our health.

First – We have to get rid of the “I deserve mentality”

I remember 5 years ago when I didn’t know much about health or what my body needed, I would have a few good days of eating and then say, “I did good the past few days, I deserve a cheat meal or I deserve dessert.” I could always come up with a reason why I deserved things that didn’t really benefit me and my goals. 

I’m not saying you never deserve a treat or dessert but there is a danger in doing this. The danger is we are creating these thought patterns that the only way we deserve a treat is if we earn it. 

The bottom line – YOU DON’T HAVE TO EARN ANYTHING!

“Weekends are not special occasions”. I heard this and it just hit me! Weekends happen every 5 days and are a regular occurrence in your schedule and need to be treated that way!

Second – If what you are doing during the week is not sustainable through the weekends, you need to find a new plan or program!

I said it and I stand by it! If you are going off the rails on the weekend because you deprive yourself during the week, you need to change what you are doing!

Weekends are not an excuse to go off the rails and not care about your health, the weekends are an opportunity for you to continue to work toward your goals. That’s it! Working towards your goals doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a treat one night or pizza night with your family. 

When you are living a sustainable lifestyle, you can have these things and it does not completely derail you.

Something else I love doing on the weekend is getting my family involved! My husband and I usually work out together most days but on the weekends we like to get our children involved. When it’s warmer, we may go to a park, swimming, or on a hike.

The point here is finding sustainable health habits that you can maintain through the weekends.

Third – Have food in your pantry and fridge that fuels you and supports your goals.

NEVER go into the weekend with no food. This is an easy way to start floundering and grabbing gold fish for a meal. Make sure you have food to get you through the weekend at home. The foods that are going to give you energy and make you feel good.

Lastly – Shift your mindset towards consistent, long-term health.

If you have talked to anyone who has made significant changes in their health for themselves or their family, they are going to say it was the consistent habits that ultimately got them where they wanted to be.

You need long-term habits. A lifestyle change that you can manage.

Every day is an opportunity for health. I want you to commit to 365 days of health. It won’t always be easy and there will be hard days that end up being a wash but don’t wait until Monday to start again, just get back at it the next day. Your mindset will begin to shift and you will see those habits develop over time! 

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