The weekend is here! Or, should I say, the most common downfall of the best fitness intentions?
From 5 years of Relentless Transformation experience, it’s clear that weekends are #1, 2, and 3 on the list of program derailers.
Why? Weekends usually mean off-time. Social time – with family, friends, and associates. Travel. Events away from home – brunches, lunches, and dinners. Barbecues, beaches, parties, sports games, and the list goes on…
All of the above introduce two major things: social expectations and ingrained reward systems.
It’s difficult to turn down a piece of cake offered by a friend. It’s difficult to decompress after a long week of work when you’re used to doing so over a bottle of wine. It’s difficult to eat well on the road. It’s difficult to go out to dinner and avoid the specialty dish.
There is a time and a place for all of the above, but it’s clear that if you do these things too often, physical results are impeded. When you’re transforming, social and reward events stacking on top of each other can be devastating.
What to do?
It begins with your priorities. Take a deep, dark, honest look at yourself and figure out what’s more important. If you’re ok with being in ok shape and keeping social and reward systems as-is, that’s ok. It really is! It just means you’re not in a position to transform.
If you make the decision to prioritize physical results, then you need a plan. These situations won’t go away on their own, and you don’t want to become a hermit in the name of fitness.
Pick the events that matter to you most, targeting an average of one per 1-2 weeks. Indulgences with that frequency will not impede results.
Consider the events that are left. How will you navigate them? Ask your family and friends for support. Make other’s aware. Prepare and pack food. Scout your travel locations for a Whole Foods or other healthy spot to acquire food. Plan group workouts.
The takeaway is summed up in three words: think it through. They are the most important three words of the post. They are the most difficult three words of the post. And they are the three words that will deliver you amazing results on a silver platter.
Day 4 Recap
Recovery again became a priority in the exercise world with the MuckFest race scheduled for day 5. I avoided unnecessary movement and stuck to the steps that occurred naturally. 14,161 steps for a total of 6.79 miles throughout the day. The FitBit has a community associated with it through which you can observe each other’s 7 day step totals. After connecting with a client and friend, Melissa, I realized I have some work to do. I’m coming for you Melissa!
Sleep from Friday to Saturday saw an overall time boost, but a quality reduction. 8 hours and 39 minutes, with 3 awake minutes and 11 restless minutes. The time made up for it though, and I feel pretty good.
How about the nutrition?
Anyone getting tired of this breakfast picture yet? What can I say…I’m a creature of habit.
Lunch was a grab-bag of leftovers. Fresh spring mix and kimchi. Leftover organic sweet potato. Leftover duck. Leftover 2 strips of bacon. Fish oil and probiotic.
Rise Bar afternoon snack.
Dinner of free-range ground turkey (half dark meat, half white meat), brown rice pasta, and mixed greens. I went back for two bowls. I’ll talk about this more in a future post, but you have to be aware of eating enough when you are eating largely unprocessed foods.
Daily Fuel
I’m a sucker for a good sport’s story. I was raised a sport’s fan, and the parallels to life are sometimes profound.
More specifically my personality gravitates to stories of long-term effort paying off. Rising and grinding. Basking in the satisfaction that only well deserved reward brings.
It’s not a stretch then that I’m a San Antonio Spurs fan (yes, of course after my hometown 76ers). Here’s a gripping story of the 17 years (and counting) relationship between Coach Gregg Popovich and Tim Duncan, their challenges and successes, and the love/obsession/passion that carried them to the top.
Image Credit: Think – http://mindflash.com
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