Get off the weekend roller coaster

It’s Monday once again and how do you feel? Full of energy, excited about the week ahead? Possibly and probably not. Have you over indulged over the weekend, maybe not done the things you were planning to do and now you are really unhappy with yourself? I hear this all the time.

It’s easily done, letting other things get in your way but honestly when it comes to your health, you have to get off the ride. Yes jump off, fall off, just break away from that cycle of being really good all through the week and when I say good I suspect you might be being so virtuous that you can’t actually maintain this way of eating in real life so you wind up blowing it all at the weekend which then causes your body to react more each time to the influx of refined food and drink that makes you bloated, retain water, etc, and feel horrible.

There has to come a realisation that as you age it is harder to return to balance, homeostasis, if you don’t have routine. Life can be very hectic, you might be trying to run a business, look after family, do the domestic chores, or be developing the newer side of your business like for me in online health coaching, and trying to somehow fit in your own training too. All this can be hugely difficult to manage but when you allow chaos to keep creeping into your lifestyle, which gives you an excuse not to do something, and yes you do allow it, you have choice, then it is time to get tough and get real with yourself and ask yourself just what am I doing?

As you age it will get harder to be healthy if you don’t start maintaining on a continuous and consistent basis some of these healthier lifestyle choices that you try to make when you go on the dreaded word -‘diet’. If you have resolved that this is the last time you put on about 5lbs over the weekend, then stick to that resolve and identify what keeps pulling you off track and seriously stop thinking of health as a diet.

I love crisps. I won’t get a packet out for myself but if a big bag of Sensations is opened, I will eat them but I only like two flavours so I want to break the cycle of me always scoffing the crisps at the weekend if they are opened so I’m going to pick flavours that the rest of the family like and I don’t. Why let things veer you off course when you have resolved to actually commit to your health or have you really?

It’s not good to be in a cycle of dropping 3/4lbs each week because you are eating soo healthily and then put it all back on, if not more, at the weekend. This puts strain on your digestive system, your joints, possibly your heart too. You know what it feels like when you carry extra weight when you try to exercise, it is not comfortable so why do this to yourself on a regular basis.

And if you are really bothered about your health, then let’s be realistic, if you drink alcohol on a regular basis as in most nights of the week, chances are it is going to be hard to get your body to burn fat and tone up, and you may well have a little bit of a tummy pouch going on. This is the lovely fat you are storing around your organs. Imagine this if it helps, think pork pie and that jelly like fat around the edge of the pie if my memory serves me correctly. Imagine your organs surrounded by this or butter or lard, sinking in a sea of gunk to be honest and fat can be toxic. Do you really want this as you get older?

Do you ever actually think about the insides of your body. Take five bags of sugar, this could well be the extra weight you are carrying on your body. Pick up the bags and see how heavy that feels and what it does to your body just holding the sugar. This is not good as you get older when those joints are starting to feel the brunt of life. Adding more weight to them when they have a certain degree of wear and tear is not ideal.

So let’s get back to getting off the weekend roller coaster, this will take continuous effort. Otherwise just get honest with yourself leave it for now if you want to keep all those extras because ultimately they will impede your good health.

The other thing don’t keep thinking about dieting during the week. Don’t use the word diet, don’t think diet, don’t do diet — do healthy or ultimately wait till you are ready to actually commit to a healthier you, healthier lifestyle. If your mind is not up for it, don’t force it, you have to be ready to take on board change. You’ve got to where you are now through old habits so we have to make room for new ones. The time has come to stop making excuses, to get focused, and commit to the programme to get results. Get off the ride, stop going round in circles, look up and start to focus on the horizon full of challenge, results and endless possibilities.