As the summer months approach, so does the temptation of social outings filled with booze and delicious food.
You make an effort all week to eat healthy, train hard and stay on top of your fitness routine.
As the weekend approaches, the idea of a nice cold drink with friends is sounds very appealing!
In the back of your mind you know how GOOD you’re going to feel come Monday if you have a relaxing weekend.
You finally cave and say “I’ll come for one drink” next thing you know its Monday morning Shred class and you can feel the alcohol sweating out of your body 😂
Whether it’s birthday, special occasion or Christmas party!
It’s the time of the year where drinking and over eating feels unavoidable and health goals seem to take a back seat.
I’m not here to tell you to lock yourself at home and be anti-social.
We workout and stay healthy so we can enjoy a better life.
Life’s too short not to celebrate, we just have to be honest with ourselves when it comes to aligning our goals and actions.
That being said it’s important to understand that drinking will slow down our results, affect training intensity and derail nutritional adherence.
After working with 1000’s of people over the years, a common theme is “perfect during the week, terrible over the weekends” so I’ve come up with a few simple tips to stay on track and integrate socialisation with forward health progression.
I’ll preface this by saying it’s not optimal but it does really help minimise the damage.
Here are 5 tips for surviving silly season
1. Stick to Clear Alcohol
Spirits like vodka, tequila, rum etc. contain far less calories (roughly 60 cal per drink) compared to beverages like beer and cocktails (roughly 300-400 cals) it doesn’t take a mathematician to know this will skyrocket your weekly calorie intake which needs to be managed if you want to drop body fat or maintain body weight composition.Also not to mention the large quantity of sugars in cocktails and estrogen boosting compounds found in beer products, which is ironic for popular ‘men’s bevvy’.
The go to “healthy” drink is the classic vodka lime and soda. So skip the bloating and extra calories, go for the lighter option to keep yourself on track this silly season
2. Train Monday!
It’s paramount you maintain a solid training routine if you “send it” on the weekends.
Don’t think of this as punishing yourself for being bad, but rather “doing something to make you feel good” again. The endorphins, sweat and blood flow can help you cleanse your weekend sins.
The key with Mondays is that it sets the tone for the week, leads to better food choices and has you back on track.
3. Hydration
It’s common knowledge that drinking dehydrates is which is typically what gives us the pounding headache scrambling to find the Panadol after having a few too many the night before.
Most of us believe it’s the lack of water which causes dehydration, what’s lesser known is the depletion of electrolytes which are responsible for adequate hydration.
Sodium, potassium, magnesium and carbohydrates are key to re hydrating.
Supplemental tools like Electrolyte powder, coconut water and amino acids can have us feeling better in a much shorter time frame. Upon waking after a big night I will have 2 litres of water filled with electrolytes, a few bananas(glucose + potassium) and some caffeine. Caffeine although typically known to dehydrate you also provides an uptake in nutrient delivery and blood flow to the brain which can speed up the recovery process.
Throughout the day keep those h20 levels up and add in electrolytes so dehydration doesn’t follow you into the week!
4. Utilise Fasting For Calorie Control
If you know you’re going to completely derail your nutrition plan, fasting can be a useful strategy to keep your energy balance in check (calories in vs calories out).
Say for example you have a big dinner on Saturday where in your mind calories don’t exist 😂
Simply skip breakfast, have a light lunch (protein + veggies) and then enjoy an evening feast. This way to can partake in food festivities guilt free and have a solid bank of calories.
It’s much harder to overshoot your calorie deficit if you save the majority of them for 1 meal. I’ve used this strategy on almost all my holidays and it helps from gaining extra weight, yet it still allows me to enjoy delicious food!
5. Focus on Quality Sleep
Quality sleep is going to reflect heavily on energy levels, mental focus and regulating physiological stress!
Over time the late nights compound and we can be left caught in a caffeine fuelled mental fog.
If you have the luxury of napping after a night out, this can make a world of difference in how you will feel in the following week.
If you need more tips on achieving optimal sleep, stay tuned in some upcoming blog posts!
This concludes our 5 tips for surviving silly season!
Have a healthy and fit week everyone, don’t drink too much ;)
Coach Ian
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