Oh boy, today we’re addressing one of the most common obstacles to New Year’s resolution success.
But first…
We recently had a Ninja come down kind of hard on us after a first year anniversary.
Kidding aside, as awesome as this physique result is, here’s what warms the cockles of my heart:
“You guys have helped me go from someone who loathed working out to someone who feels upset all day if I miss my morning workouts.”
*cue Mark ugly crying in the corner cuz this is literally why MFF was created*
And I want YOU to feel just as stoked about your fitness adventures!
(Want to learn more? For our intro offer for at-home, bodyweight, virtual classes go HERE. For our intro offer for in-person semi-private training in NYC, go HERE.)
Today I want to bring you a simple set of tips for keeping up with your New Year’s resolutions all year long.
I’m going to help you solve one of the great challenges of fitnessing for those who want to build up some momentum…
How to Prevent Your Weekends from Derailing Your Fitness
Many humans are able to diligently stick to their fitness commitments Monday through Thursday.
But sometimes…
Just sometimes…
Friday night leads to some unplanned indulgences.
(By which I mean “7 glasses of wine.”)
Then we wake up feeling like Poopy McPooperson. Our plan to get up early and hit the gym falls by the wayside. We skip our greek yogurt and go for a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich on a bagel.
At this point, we’re in Full Fuggit Mode, and I think you see where this goes from here.
Now let’s start by saying this:
It’s 100% ok to enjoy yourself on your fitness journey.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying some snacks and yummy treats. And sometimes, you should absolutely take a weekend to live your life if it feels like the right choice for you.
So this is NOT about trying to be “perfect” (whatever that even means…).
It’s about behaving in a way that aligns with your personally chosen goals and values.
Instead of feeling crappy after your weekend…
- You’ll have more all-day-long energy for the week ahead.
- You’ll have crisper thinking come Monday morning.
- You’ll have a boosted immune system.
- You’ll be in a better mood.
- You’ll be bursting with pride and confidence for following through on your commitments.
So hooooow do we dooooo this??
Well, as long time readers know, my suggestion is not: “Use willpower to grind it out!”
Here are three quick tips for achieving Weekend Fitness Greatness.
1. Find Hobbies That Support Your Fitness Goals
One challenge for foodies — or in your author’s case, devoted craft cocktail aficionados — is that great eats are one of our favorite things in the world. And that’s awesome! Food is more than just fuel. And we’re not looking to take away a true joy in our life. We’re just looking to balance it with other goals.
The heart of the weekend challenge is this: we simply have a bit more free time. Sometimes we just get bored. So let’s find some fun stuff to do!
Most of us use weekends to recharge and engage in personal hobbies. By looking into hobbies that will support our fitness, we’re setting ourselves up for success.
- Spend some time outside.
- Go for a long walk or even a hike.
- Look into playing recreational sports.
- Experiment with a new kind of fitness you haven’t tried before.
And if you want some non-fitness stuff? While our current physically restricted isn’t 100% ideal for this, weekends are also a great time to sample some art and culture.
- Make a list of the Oscar nominees from the last 20 years that you’ve never seen.
- Reread some of your favorite books from high school.
- Pick up an instrument.
- Start a Zoom game night with friends.
- Get a board game to play with your pod.
The answer here will vary of course. The key point is find some non-food related fun stuff!
2. Set Up Your Environment for Success
Here’s another oft-repeated pro tip that you can utilize to great effect on the weekend:
- Fill up your kitchen with genuinely enjoyable food choices that serve your fitness goals.
And related:
- Don’t stock your kitchen full of foods that aren’t in line with your personal goals.
If you know Friday night cues you to crack open a bottle of wine or a bag of potato chips, you can make it harder on yourself by not stocking the house. Placing a little friction between you and the desire you want to avoid can be super helpful.
3. Plan Your Snayacks
Real talk?
I had an unexpectedly hard time writing this email.
Because the LAST thing I want is to suggest that you should spend your weekends obsessing over your fitness. Nor do I want to put external value judgements on your food choices.
Ultimately you’re the one who decides what’s right for you in your life. Particularly during the slings and arrows of our current historical moment. Believe me, sometimes it’s 100% ok to spontaneously decide you want pizza.
However, I also know when we do this consistently, it can be deflating. And it can have an outsize impact on not just our fitness, but our self-esteem. Each human has to decide for themselves when self-care means getting a massage and when it means spontaneous lasagna.
But if I’ve found one thing to be true, it’s this: we tend to feel much better about ourselves and enjoy our indulgences more when we’ve planned for it. When we choose the foods that we most, most love. When we share a yummy meal with loved ones. When it’s an act of self-expression and self-love.
To that end, if you know you’re a real foodie, I’m all about spending some of your weekend exploring your passion.
My gentle suggestion is simply this: pick your battles.
If you know you’ve got a great meal out (REMEMBER THOSE???) on Saturday night, perhaps you still order out on Friday, but maybe you get a salad. Maybe you go to brunch, but skip the pitcher of mimosas. Follow your plan, but also plan some treats to look forward to!
There you have it, a simple set of tips to help you curate a weekend that nourishes your heart, soul, AND body!
I’m deeply appreciative of you taking the time to read. And I sincerely hope your 2021 is off to a great start.
Always rooting for you,
Mark
P.S. Here’s another story from a real live human about their experience of MFF, the truly magical Tom D…
I find at Mark Fisher Fitness, you forget you’re working out until later on that day when all of your muscles burn because you just had the greatest workout of your life.”
Want to learn more? For our intro offer for at-home, body weight, virtual classes go HERE. For our intro offer for in-person semi-private training in NYC, go HERE.
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