By Gregory L Gomez
Now that we've arrived at the start of a brand new week, some of us will mentally replay the choices made from Friday night through Sunday evening. One of the most difficult things to deal with are weekends especially if you're focused on improving your health, losing weight, and getting fit.
Let's face it, a lot of us have become accustomed to a Saturday or Sunday ritual that may not be the healthiest of choices.
Often folks will have a decently healthy Monday through Friday afternoon but then Friday evening, Saturday, and Sunday come along, and all the healthy eating habits and that fabulous fitness routine go completely out the window.
Naturally it can be a bit difficult to stick with the plan that guides you through the work week especially if you're physically and mentally drained come Friday afternoon. Nevertheless when the weekend does arrive a bit of restraint and control needs to be maintained so that you do not undo four and a half days of healthy habits.
On the other hand, if you're wondering why you aren't having a healthy weekend due to the fact of eating far too much, snacking in an unhealthy manner, and getting absolutely no form of exercise, then use these three tips for the next weekend and hopefully can save yourself the grief you may be feeling right about now.
Tip #1: Don't Eat Late At Night
Just as during the week you don't want to eat less than three hours before you go to sleep, this is particularly important on the weekends. Friday and Saturday night can sometimes have people staying up later than usual going out with friends or loved ones. Often after the night's festivities folks go out for a fast food meal or get home and toss something in the microwave.
Don't do it!
Eating after midnight then going to sleep shortly afterwards will do nothing but pack hundreds, maybe even thousands of calories into your body. Unfortunately you won't have a chance to burn off any of those calories since you're about to go to sleep. Instead they will end up finding a comfortable place to stay on your body in the form of fat.
More often than not, at this late hour your body is likely more thirsty than hungry. If you do find yourself in a craving mood try to drink one or two large glasses of water. If you must snack on something, eat what is considered to be a 0-calorie food such as a carrot or celery stick. That should hold you over until the morning.
Even though devouring a gluttonous meal of food may feel euphoric at the time, remember that feeling will pass and tomorrow morning you have nothing left to show except for the extra weight on your body.
Tip #2 Drink Water During the Weekend
Hopefully you have been drinking water during the week but just because Saturday and Sunday roll around doesn't mean you should forget entirely of its existence. Don't pick up the soda, energy drinks, juice, or beers, especially since each one packs 150+ calories per serving. If you drink four 12 ounce sodas during the weekend, you're looking at 600 calories right there in drinks.
To make matters worse, the glasses or cups we have at home are larger than 12 ounces so calories can easily exceed that 600 projection.
Stick with as much water as possible and not only will you be putting 0 additional calories into your body, but you will be giving your body an additional health benefit too.
Tip #3: Watch That Portion Size
It goes without saying that the portion size you consume at meals needs to be of an appropriate amount especially when striving to stay at a daily calorie count that will create weight loss. Since the majority of us have more freedom on the weekend, it's somewhat easy to open the refrigerator whenever the urge arises, or hop in the car to go to the local fast food drive through.
However each one of these decisions will have an impact on your end-of-the-day total. If you're really concerned with weight loss, try to treat your weekend just as you would any week day. Don't let the extra free time go to your head and allow you to make careless choices in regards to your nutrition.
Instead, use the extra time to cook a healthy meal which you can not only eat, but portion the extras into plastic travel containers, label, and freeze to be used during the upcoming week for lunches. This way not only will you have prepared a great meal to eat on the weekend, but you will be ready come Monday with a healthy meal in hand.
Hopefully you remember these three tips so you can proudly say that you are having a healthy weekend.
Gregory L. Gomez, a LAUSD teacher who's also on journey to develop a healthy life in an effort to lose weight and get in shape. Follow his progress on http://HealthyChoicesInLife.com as he strives to lose nearly 100 pounds by eating healthy and maintaining a consistent exercise routine. Get a FREE monthly Healthy Choices Newsletter along with a Healthy Eating eBook just for stopping by at http://healthychoicesinlife.com/healthy-eating.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gregory_L_Gomez
Now that we've arrived at the start of a brand new week, some of us will mentally replay the choices made from Friday night through Sunday evening. One of the most difficult things to deal with are weekends especially if you're focused on improving your health, losing weight, and getting fit.
Let's face it, a lot of us have become accustomed to a Saturday or Sunday ritual that may not be the healthiest of choices.
Often folks will have a decently healthy Monday through Friday afternoon but then Friday evening, Saturday, and Sunday come along, and all the healthy eating habits and that fabulous fitness routine go completely out the window.
Naturally it can be a bit difficult to stick with the plan that guides you through the work week especially if you're physically and mentally drained come Friday afternoon. Nevertheless when the weekend does arrive a bit of restraint and control needs to be maintained so that you do not undo four and a half days of healthy habits.
On the other hand, if you're wondering why you aren't having a healthy weekend due to the fact of eating far too much, snacking in an unhealthy manner, and getting absolutely no form of exercise, then use these three tips for the next weekend and hopefully can save yourself the grief you may be feeling right about now.
Tip #1: Don't Eat Late At Night
Just as during the week you don't want to eat less than three hours before you go to sleep, this is particularly important on the weekends. Friday and Saturday night can sometimes have people staying up later than usual going out with friends or loved ones. Often after the night's festivities folks go out for a fast food meal or get home and toss something in the microwave.
Don't do it!
Eating after midnight then going to sleep shortly afterwards will do nothing but pack hundreds, maybe even thousands of calories into your body. Unfortunately you won't have a chance to burn off any of those calories since you're about to go to sleep. Instead they will end up finding a comfortable place to stay on your body in the form of fat.
More often than not, at this late hour your body is likely more thirsty than hungry. If you do find yourself in a craving mood try to drink one or two large glasses of water. If you must snack on something, eat what is considered to be a 0-calorie food such as a carrot or celery stick. That should hold you over until the morning.
Even though devouring a gluttonous meal of food may feel euphoric at the time, remember that feeling will pass and tomorrow morning you have nothing left to show except for the extra weight on your body.
Tip #2 Drink Water During the Weekend
Hopefully you have been drinking water during the week but just because Saturday and Sunday roll around doesn't mean you should forget entirely of its existence. Don't pick up the soda, energy drinks, juice, or beers, especially since each one packs 150+ calories per serving. If you drink four 12 ounce sodas during the weekend, you're looking at 600 calories right there in drinks.
To make matters worse, the glasses or cups we have at home are larger than 12 ounces so calories can easily exceed that 600 projection.
Stick with as much water as possible and not only will you be putting 0 additional calories into your body, but you will be giving your body an additional health benefit too.
Tip #3: Watch That Portion Size
It goes without saying that the portion size you consume at meals needs to be of an appropriate amount especially when striving to stay at a daily calorie count that will create weight loss. Since the majority of us have more freedom on the weekend, it's somewhat easy to open the refrigerator whenever the urge arises, or hop in the car to go to the local fast food drive through.
However each one of these decisions will have an impact on your end-of-the-day total. If you're really concerned with weight loss, try to treat your weekend just as you would any week day. Don't let the extra free time go to your head and allow you to make careless choices in regards to your nutrition.
Instead, use the extra time to cook a healthy meal which you can not only eat, but portion the extras into plastic travel containers, label, and freeze to be used during the upcoming week for lunches. This way not only will you have prepared a great meal to eat on the weekend, but you will be ready come Monday with a healthy meal in hand.
Hopefully you remember these three tips so you can proudly say that you are having a healthy weekend.
Gregory L. Gomez, a LAUSD teacher who's also on journey to develop a healthy life in an effort to lose weight and get in shape. Follow his progress on http://HealthyChoicesInLife.com as he strives to lose nearly 100 pounds by eating healthy and maintaining a consistent exercise routine. Get a FREE monthly Healthy Choices Newsletter along with a Healthy Eating eBook just for stopping by at http://healthychoicesinlife.com/healthy-eating.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gregory_L_Gomez
