Are you a weekender?

By Guest Bloggers, Adri Warrick & Kelly Schwartz Superak:

You may know her from Power Hour at the Harris Y. She had a huge following in Charlotte! She got married in October to an incredible guy and moved to DC for his transfer within the US Secret Service. She now trains in DC and shares free workouts and tips on her blog, www.iron-mamas.com. Many of her workouts don’t require equipment which leaves you with no excuse not to make time for exercise. She may have left the Queen City but she is still helping me and others across the country through her great workout posts!

Kelly and I have been talking for quite some time about the set-backs that weekends bring. You workout hard all week, eat right, hydrate, sleep…then blow it on the weekend! On Monday, you’re playing catch up. How is one to get ahead?

Read below, about the reality of what a few extra glasses of wine and desert can do to your waistline over the course of a year. How can you be more conscious about what you put in your mouth- and how you time your weekly exercise?

Symptoms of a “Week-ender”:
-May skip a workout Sat/Sun- “I worked hard all week”
-May indulge in extra alcoholic beverages
-May eat out multiple times, may even eat out 2-3x in one day
-Doesn’t stay hydrated
-Eats dessert more frequently
-Gives in to “cheating” easily- only on Fri/Sat/Sun

Some numbers…

There are approximately 135 “weekend” days a year, counting Friday/Saturday/Sunday. If you are to consume an additional 300 calories (only 300!) on those days (a large dessert, 1 meal out, 2 drinks, etc) that is 12 pounds per year!

You may not be the extreme weekender, but if you are any version of this, much of your hard work during the week is being voided on the weekends. Or look at it this way- the reason you have not gained 12 lbs, but maybe 3-5, is because you counteract the gain with your good weekdays.

How can you get on the good side of this?
-Make sure you are taking off 1-2 NON-consecutive days of exercise per week. So don’t save your days off for the weekend- especially if those will be your high calorie days
-Is that extra drink worth it? Evaluate the evening…we all know, some nights are worth the extra drink and some are not.
-Spread out your “cheats”. Do you want to have 3 drinks, or dessert? Pick one, not both! (you probably don’t need the bread at the table if you pick one of those either:)
-Re-create your favorite meals from restaurants at home on the weekends- saves money and calories!
-Get excited about the extra time on weekends you can devote to being healthy- and plan ahead!
-Try not to eat out more than 1x per weekend day. They say a meal out contains an -Practice the same clean eating habits on the weekend- try getting 75% of it right and give yourself a break on the other 25% of your day!
-Flush out extra sodium and sugar with WATER!
-Remember, you deserve a cheat now and again…just don’t do it all in one day!
-Don’t overdo it on Monday to make up for a bad weekend….instead, plan ahead and don’t let the bad weekend happen!

Let Kelly know if you have any questions about getting ahead of “week-ender habits”, and always count on her favorite websites for advice, recipes- and staying healthy! (www.thewholetulip.blogspot.com, www.cleaneatingmag.com, www.wholeliving.com)
Contact: Schwartz.kelly@gmail.com

Adri Warrick is a regular guest blogger, Smarty Mom and founder of The Whole Tulip blog. Kelly Schwartz Superak is certified in personal training, all formats of group exercise (except pilates), and a running/swimming coach. She is an amazing person who has touched so many lives through her workouts and passion for helping people get healthy.