Have you ever woken up on a Monday morning after a big weekend of drinking and poor food choices, feeling bad and sorry for yourself?
Most who have these feelings of regret try to convince themselves that because they have “fallen off the bandwagon”, they have in some way failed. This causes a downward shame spiral, with these people often choosing to revert back to old habits and putting their diet and exercise to the bottom of their priority list.
The saying “it takes 21 days to make a habit and 5 days to break a habit” is quite scary. The volume of effort (both physical and mental) that a person needs to use in order to create healthier habits isn’t small. All of the painstaking routine changes and work can easily be unraveled if they get out of their routine for less than a week.
Your health and wellness is a marathon, not a sprint. The relationship you have with your body and your health is a lifelong commitment that requires ongoing work and attention to ensure that it blossoms to its full potential, just like any romantic relationship or friendship. When times get tough, or you’re struggling to commit to your diet or workouts, it’s not the time to throw in the towel completely because you’ve had a slight slip up.
At Glow For Life, we have many of our clients who have fallen off the wagon (and we’ve been guilty of this ourselves).
Follow our top 5 tips in getting back on the wagon after a big weekend to ensure you maintain your healthy habits and can truly glow.
1. Drink 1 litre of lemon water first thing.
This will not only hydrate you but the lemon helps to alkaline your digestive system, which after a weekend of drinking will most likely mean your insides are quite acidic.
2. Exercise first thing on a Monday morning.
You may not feel like getting up but if you increase your endorphin levels straight away, then you’re more inclined to have a positive week of healthy living. Exercising first thing gives you less opportunity to talk yourself out of exercising; before you can think too much about it, you will have finished half of your workout!
3. Cook a healthy nutritious dinner.
Go to the supermarket and stock up on some fresh vegetables and protein. Be sure to make a double portion so you have leftovers available for lunch or dinner the next day; this will ensure your body gets the nutrients it needs and will push you back onto the path of feeling better.
4. Don’t beat yourself up.
It’s really easy to turn on the negative self-talk after you are exhausted from a big weekend and force yourself into feeling like a failure. Sometimes it’s easier said than done, but you need to try not to indulge these feelings, accept and own that you chose to have a big weekend, and GET OVER IT. I’m sure you had fun so don’t feel sorry for yourself! Move on and enjoy an amazing week of healthy living.
5. Go to bed early and get a good night sleep.
While your first instinct may be to slump in front of the TV and just some relaxation, this can actually be a huge negative. Switching back to technology and turning on the television/laptop/phone has the ability to trick your brain into thinking it’s daytime, meaning sleep hormones won’t be released and you will experience an unsettled and less restful sleep. Once you have had dinner, go to bed early to recharge your batteries for the week ahead!
