Most people view their weekends as a perfect time to unwind, relax and recharge, and there is nothing wrong with the idea. However, in the majority of cases, we tend to forget about a healthy lifestyle when the weekend is right on the horizon. Which is a poor strategy to stick to if you want to maintain proper mental and physical health.
According to recent research, you can spend quality weekends without sacrificing much. All it takes is a bunch of healthy weekend tips to point you in the right direction, and our trained experts are willing to be the guiding light you can rely on. On top of that, the Eleviate team has gathered some practical motivational pieces of advice along with simple weekend recipes to make your free time as enjoyable as possible!
Healthy weekend motivation tips
Sticking to a healthy diet during the weekend may feel a little challenging and overly exhausting. Let us become your personal trainer for a while and share a few effective motivation tips that will ensure that your body and mind stay healthy during the whole weekend.
Feel good about yourself—people tend to deviate from their healthy weekend plans when surrounded by friends or acquaintances who urge them to make unhealthy lifestyle choices. If you want to feel good about yourself, you should spend weekends in the company of those who care about you and encourage you to adopt healthy habits.
Outline the points that make you overeat—it is easy to keep the motivation levels up if you know your problem areas. It is much more challenging to make good food choices if you use food to cope with disappointment, boredom, or success. However, a fair share of brainstorming and dedication will help you make healthier choices during the weekends. Changes take time—that is critical to grasp if you want to develop healthy habits. You can't become a healthy eater overnight. The process usually takes weeks, months, and sometimes even years. If you realize that and stick to the pre-set goals, each weekend will take you closer to success.
Tips for a healthy weekend: gradual and successful changes ensured
It is encoded in human nature to feel lazy when the weekend hits. However, if you aim for a healthy weekend, there is a list of activities to schedule and steps to take. There are 15 practical tips that we will share with you today. Each of them is success-programmed and practically tested.
Keep the alarm
Go for lengthier workouts
Get outdoors
Evaluate your journey
Hydrate yourself properly
Eat a dessert
Control the portions
Limit your drinks
Relax and unwind
Practice meditation
Cook something new
Take a hot bath
Scheduled weigh-in
Plan the week ahead
Socialize with the loved ones
1. Wake up with the alarm
It may seem like a great idea to spend most of Saturday morning in bed, hugging your soft pillow. However, suppose you care about scientific opinion. In that case, the changes that your body undergoes when you ignore the biological clock and alter your sleep schedule during the weekend will have a negative effect on your overall state. People who spend extra time in bed during the weekend usually feel more tired, in a worse mood, or even depressed.
2. Extend the exercise routine
A healthier weekend means that you can do more than during the weekdays. For instance, you may want to try a new exercise session at the gym or go for a lengthy run in the park. Physical activity will have a positive effect on your weight loss goals as well as your mental health state.
3. Get some fresh air
Your healthy weekend should be based on the quality of time spent with your friends and family. However, you shouldn't forget that you spend most of the week inside, and connecting with nature and getting pumped with vitamin D is a great idea too. Treat yourself to a sunny walk through the park so that you don't feel deprived of the happiness and refreshment it gives. Besides, the positive effect on your weight loss process will be similar to that of playing sports.
4. Program yourself for success
It happens that many people push themselves to the limit during the weekdays. Whether it is a restrictive diet or a strict workout regime that you stick to, you may lose it over the weekend. However, such an approach will lead to eating more, making wrong food choices, and slacking on effective exercise. That is why you should revise your week and plan ahead to avoid making the same mistake over and over again.
5. Drink enough water
Some health goals are incredibly simple to memorize and stick to. For instance, you can fill up a small bottle and carry it around in your purse to drink water when hunger creeps over you. The truth is that, in most cases, people mistake thirst for hunger. Thus, they eat more than they should while the organism craves hydration. The simple habit won't interfere with your Friday night fun but will ensure you make more healthy choices without even realizing it.
6. Choose healthy options for dessert
When you are on a diet to succeed with weight loss or any other goal, you may assume that restricting yourself from certain pleasures will do you good. The reality proves that if you cut back on everything you like, the result will be reversed. Treating yourself to a healthy dessert on the weekend is an excellent practice. However, you should choose a juicy fruit plate instead of a fat slice of cake. You will satisfy your cravings without deviating from the healthy path.
7. Saturday night meal portions
Let's be honest. It is challenging to make healthy food choices while out with friends. However, you can still do something about it, even if you order the greasiest meals on the menu. It is all about the size of the portion. You don't have to eat a whole pizza on your own. A couple of slices will satisfy your cravings without having a major negative effect on your body weight.
8. Control the alcoholic beverages intake
Whether it is a birthday party or a dinner out with friends or family, you may allow yourself to drink more than you do during the week. This does not concern alcohol only. The same goes for sweet teas, sodas, and fancy coffees too. Liquid calories will have the same impact on your body, but they are easier to miss. It is okay to share a glass of wine or two with your loved ones, but try not to abuse the intake.
9. Schedule your relaxation session
Healthy living is not only about an effective workout regime and healthy eating. It is also about your mental health. There is nothing better to unwind than planning a relaxation session that suits your needs and requirements. Whether it is going to the movies, enjoying a spa treatment, or reading your favorite book—anything that makes you feel relaxed and happy counts.
10. Try to meditate
You can kill two birds with one stone if you practice meditation on weekends. The session will add to your relaxation routine and soothe the mind, keeping all your worries at bay. Besides, doing some yoga counts as effective physical exercise, which positively affects the weight loss process. Keep in mind that spending hours trying to meditate is unnecessary. Even a few minutes on a Sunday morning will have the desired effect.
11. Cook a new meal
The best way to establish healthy weekend eating habits is to cook your meals yourself. One meal a weekend will ensure that your chef skills are getting better by the week and you don't get bored with your diet since simple and healthy recipes are many. Not to mention the fact that meal prepping counts as a fun weekend activity if you involve those you care for in the process.
12. Choose a bath instead of a shower
Constant stress will have a negative effect on your health. There is no doubt about it. However, there are simple and effective ways to relieve that stress, and weekends are the best for dealing with the issue. A little self-care routine in the form of a hot bath with essential oils and salts added to it is precisely what you need to unwind and de-stress.
13. Work on your accountability skills
When the weekend hits, we seem to forget about the journey we have been on for the whole week. Such forgetfulness leads to drinking a little more, eating a tad extra, and keeping the workout out of sight. If you seek ways to avoid that and improve your accountability skills, the experts suggest that you plan your Monday-morning weigh-in. If you don't want to spot extra pounds on the scales, you will stick to your chosen diet and healthy routine better.
14. Plan your week
Planning a week ahead is one of the best ways to stick to the chosen path and succeed. You can spend Sunday afternoon working on your weekly menu, shopping list, and other things you would like to have done by the following weekend. Such an approach will help you remain organized no matter the unexpected situation that heads your way.
15. Explore fresh social possibilities
Having a fun evening at your favorite restaurant with those you love is a great way to spend your weekends. However, taking a friend out to a theater, art exhibition, marathon, or anything else that you haven't done before will pump you full of new emotions, and that is what we usually lack most.
BONUS: Why do healthy weekend meals matter?
Of course, it is natural to treat yourself to anything but healthy food when the weekend hits. After all, you waited the whole week to eat that cheeseburger! However, wait until you hear all the reasons in favor of healthy meal prep to finalize your decision:
Healthy food provides all the nutrients your organism requires to keep you well and energized throughout the weekdays.
All your systems function better if you stick to a healthy diet, especially the immune system.
Your weight loss progress will become much more evident if you don't use days off as your cheat days.
Your heart will thank you if you don't pump your body full of cholesterol, sugar, and unhealthy fats.
Your teeth and bones will be a lot stronger.
You will forget about annoying mood swings.
Your memory will pleasantly surprise you.
Healthy weekend dinner options
Cooking a healthy weekend dinner may take you a little longer when compared to breakfast, but the result is worth all the time and effort.
Chili chicken with hominy hash
Ingredients
Chili powder – 2 teaspoons
Ground cinnamon – ¼ teaspoon
Grated lime zest – ½ teaspoon
Bone-in chicken thighs – 8
White hominy – 1 can
Acorn squash – ½ medium one
Bell pepper – 1
Olive oil – 3 tablespoons
Scallions – 2
Lime juice – 1 tbsp
Cilantro – ¼ cup
Preparation
Place two racks in the one – one in the upper part and one in the lower. Preheat the oven to 245F. Take two baking sheets and line them with baking paper.
Mix half of chili powder, salt, cinnamon, and lime zest and coat the chicken in the mix.
Place the chicken onto one of the baking sheets and wait until the other one is ready.
Combine hominy, bell pepper, squash 2 spoons of olive oil, salt, and the rest of the seasoning and spread it over the other baking sheet.
Place the chicken on the upper rack and hominy hash on the lower.
Bake for around 25 minutes. Don't forget to stir the hash occasionally.
Put hominy hash in the bowl, sprinkle with lime juice and remaining olive oil, top with the roast chicken thigh, and enjoy.
Chicken Katsu with rice
Ingredients
Flour – 1 cup
Eggs – 2
Breadcrumbs – 1 cup
Chicken cutlets – 4
Salt and pepper
Vegetable oil
Garlic – 3 cloves
Minced ginger – 2 teaspoons
Baby bok choy – 3 heads
Cooked rice – 3 cups
Scallions – 3
Katsu sauce
Preparation
Divide the beaten eggs, flour, and breadcrumbs into three bowls. Season the cutlets with salt and pepper. Put each cutlet into flour, egg, and then breadcrumbs in the exact order. Place on a plate.
Heat up some vegetable oil in the large pan, add the cutlets and cook until golden and crisp. Usually, it takes around 5 minutes per side.
Take another skillet, add some oil, and mix garlic and ginger. Cook the mixture for around 30 seconds. Throw in the bok choy, add some salt and cook for 1 minute. Add rice to the mix and stir for another 2 minutes. Introduce the scallions.
Serve rice with chicken cutlets and Katsu sauce.
Healthy lifestyle not only on weekends with Eleviate
Eleviate is your certified personal trainer regarding healthy eating habits, effective workouts, and a positive mindset. Our friendly community is growing by the day, so no matter your challenges and questions, you will always feel supported and appreciated. The Eleviate app is your best friend on the path to the highest-quality lifestyle filled with happiness and joy!
