How to combat the weekend (AKA damage control)

For those of us fighting the battle for better fitness its very apparent that throughout our days we have our easier moments and our struggles. Some struggle for consistency, some struggle in doing what their body needs as opposed to what their bodies want.

I myself and many others find the weekend one of the hardest parts of the week. Upon closer introspection it’s not hard to understand why that could be. Firstly, we spend more time at home, which means we are closer to food. Now of course just being around food doesn’t mean you will automatically screw it up,  but proximity to temptations of any kind very often lead to more dietary indiscretions. So the first tip I will discuss falls under the context of eating habits. When the weekend comes around If you are like me you might find yourself trapped at a table full of food for long periods of time. This in of itself sets you up for a great test. Will I eat the healthy stuff or the unhealthy stuff? Will I be able to eat a normal portion without going overboard? There are many such issues that arise for the fitness enthusiast or beginner who understands the value of proper eating and its effect on the total fitness equation. One great way to combat these and other such challenges is to have a plan. Now the plan is good from the bare minimum or to its maximum degree.

The steps are:

1) Minimize time spent at a table when heavy food is involved such as meats, white flour/white sugar and processed carbs.

2) Portion out all the food you want within reason trying your hardest to balance your plate with natural foods such as grains vegetables, fruits, nuts and lean meats such as fish, turkey, as well as consuming a variety of seeds. At the same time we are people and we like our unhealthy fatty foods right? So if you must, minimize don’t pig out! You might very well cancel out a great week of weight loss in 2-3 unhealthy meals, it’s simply not worth it and not fair to your current goals and your long term health.

3) Chew Slowly and allow for digestion to properly occur. There is digestion that happens in the mouth that can be lost if food is wolfed down and not slowly broken down with one’s teeth and enzymes. Another factor is the fact that the human body doesn’t register food as fast as we can eat it. So the faster you eat the more you can eat. Ever wonder why the hot dog eating champions literally eat as fast as they can. One couldn’t eat that many hot dogs if they had to chew slowly.

4) Try to eat according to your perceived upcoming activity level. If you know you’re not gonna be moving around much try not to schedule a huge meal before hand. If you do have a substantial meal try to take at least a twenty minute walk afterwards. What you want to maintain at all times is an efficient metabolism the faster and sooner your metabolism runs the quicker you will burn calories and stop storing food intake as fat.

5) No Doubles! Once you have the food on your plate that is what you get. If you consume close to a thousand calories in one shot because you just inhaled 3 potions of chicken fries a couple of hot dogs with soda plus maybe some dessert after, unless you are serious athlete or somebody with a super metabolism you will in all likelihood wind up storing a lot of those calories, around your middle if you are a man, or thighs and butt if you are a woman.

6) Try to maintain proper sleep as best you can. We all like to have fun and stay out late when we don’t have to get up early for work. Still starting your day late or not getting enough sleep will make you more lethargic during the day with a slow metabolism primed for fat storage. Once you feel tired you will find yourself more likely to make bad eating decisions either overeating to compensate for low energy levels or eating pleasure food to give you the sugar fix you know you love.

7) Eating breakfast by 9 o’clock the latest. If you start eating late into the day your body is starting out in starvation mode as well as being dehydrated to boot. So in relation to metabolism, again you are getting the wheels spinning much later and therefore slower as a result. The body will react by taking the food and storing it as fat, since you let your system go so long without eating, your body doesn’t know when the next meal is coming and is in a nutritional/water deficit. So the best thing you can do is eat breakfast while rehydrating your body with water first thing when you start your day.

If one practices these seven steps on the weekends and throughout the week they will find that their body will start to shift away from fat storage as a result of a boosted metabolism. Lastly, having a sound exercise program geared towards muscle growth and overall body conditioning, makes all the difference and will enable you to see the results you deserve.

For help getting started or if you want to take your routine to the next level check out –> www.jerusalemfitness.com or call Michael 054-625-0269 there is a program for everybody.

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