When I do my weekly check-ins with my clients the most common response is “I did great! … until the weekend. Then I just ate whatever I wanted.” It is also usually followed by something like “I am so mad at myself. I was doing so good and then I threw it all away. I don’t know what’s wrong with me” well I’m here to talk you off a ledge and give you some tips on how to recover from a weekend binge. Weather it was food, drinks or both 😉
First off, you are training for life. Not a bikini competition or the Olympics. Taking away life won’t help you get any closer to your goals. You need to allow yourself to relax and live a little. So my first tip is to relax and forgive yourself. All you did was enjoy your life and have some fun. It’s not the end of the world. If you are continuously hard on yourself you are just setting yourself up for failure. Allow yourself some wiggle room and room to live.
Second, reset and get back on track. Plan your workouts for the week. And just make it happen. My simple rule of thumb is to never go more than 3 days without a workout. That way I can never get that far off track. A weekend is 3 days max so you can’t do that much damage in one weekend . So hop back on the fitness train and get to work.
Next, eat clean. No you do not need to do a juice cleanse or a detox diet. Your body is literally designed to do that for you. As long as you don’t keep putting crap in your body , it will clean itself out. So help speed the process up and eat as clean as you can.
Last, drink water. Lots of it. This will help flush any toxins that were built up over your little weekend bender, help aid in digestion and even help clear your skin.
Remember to enjoy life but do your best not to go right back to where you were just because it is a Saturday.
Madison Murray is a certified personal trainer, a group fitness instructor, a certified sports and exercise nutrition coach and a certified strength and conditioning coach. For more information head to www.madfitaz.com or check her out on instagram at @mmmadisonmurray
