Hands up who had an over-indulgent Easter? Hands up who’s just had a lazy 3-day weekend? Hand up who’s going on holiday soon?
To top it off we have another bank holiday coming up hot on the heels of the last two!
It’s amazing how quickly our normal eating and exercise routines go out of the window when we have the luxury of time off. We eat and drink what we want, how much we want and whenever we want. We move as little as necessary in the name of ‘chilling out.’
Unfortunately, it can feel like a real struggle to return to normality.
Getting back on track need not feel like a big upheaval. Let’s face it, we’ve got enough to deal with in terms of going back to work after having time off!
Here are my quick-fire quick fixes for easing back into a healthy routine after a break, blowout or binge…
Don’t waste time feeling guilty – What’s done is done and having a blowout at the weekend or on holiday is PERFECTLY NORMAL! Don’t get into a negative slump regretting what you ate or how little you exercised. This negativity can creep into your attitude towards returning to a healthy diet and exercise. You may be left thinking, “what’s the point?” or “I won’t be able to do it.”
Don’t weigh yourself instantly – Wait a few days! We are all liable of gaining a few pounds when we relax our eating and exercise habits. If you feel a little bloated you don’t need the scales to tell you it’s time to get moving more and eating better. Weighing yourself instantly has the danger of making you feel like you’ve lost all previously made progress which isn’t the case. Give yourself a few days to get back to normality before stepping on the scales for a true reflection of any damage done; it’s highly likely it won’t be as bad as you think.
Eat your favourite healthy meal and do your favourite workout – Remind yourself how enjoyable healthy eating and exercise is! This will make it really easy to get your mojo back. Don’t force yourself to eat something you don’t like or undertake a long, gruelling workout session to punish yourself. This will not inspire you to get back into a good routine, rather the opposite!
Don’t cut out, cut back – Make compromises not cuts! Any diet requiring you to cut out certain food groups is not only unrealistic, it’s not great for you. We need each food group for different reasons. When it comes to eating better the general rule is balance, everything in moderation. Don’t be too restrictive as this isn’t sustainable in the long run.
Go big at breakfast – Eat a good breakfast to avoid going wild at lunchtime. A filling meal in the morning will also curb snacking later in the day. Breakfast literally means break the fast! It provides the body with fuel after an overnight fast. Eat right in the morning to set you up for eating right the rest of the day.
Do an alcohol detox – Give yourself a week off from drinking if you’ve been hitting it hard and increase your water consumption to flush toxins out of your body.
Eat on schedule – Pick eating times and stick to them. Eat every 3-5 hours to regulate your appetite levels. In the same way you organise your workouts in the week, you should get what and when you’re eating planned and prepared in advance where possible.
Write it down – If you’ve lost your way when it comes to how much you are eating and what you are eating make a food diary. This will give you a true reflection of your diet. It will reveal if it is balanced or unbalanced and if you are eating too much or too little.
Review your goal – Lastly remember why you want to get back on track! Your goal is your best motivation.
