Winning the Weekend War

Weekends are evil for boxers and their training plans.   Actually they are evil for anyone trying to control what they eat and train.  While they are just like any other day of the week, there is something mystical about a weekend that has us all partying hard Friday night, sleeping in late on Saturday only to repeat the cycle again Saturday night and Sunday morning.  It's a vicious war and the casualties are our training and nutrition.

The one bright spot, is that on occasion, you have a fight one of those nights which keeps you focused, but if you're not following the weekly routine on the weekend, you're going to end up cheating on your meal plan, skipping the gym, and overindulging in food, alcohol, and whatever else may be within reach. 

So how do you mitigate the damage, while still ensuring you have a little fun in the process?

First, you have to embrace a:

Change of Perception...

View your week as a whole 7 days, not 5 days and a weekend and then condition yourself to believe what you are telling yourself.  This is a lot harder than it sounds, because everything in North America is programmed around the weekday and the weekend.  Work schedules, special events, fights, etc... 

Once you've got the right mindset, you have a chance at the following recommendations, if you can't change your mindset, these aren't going to work and you're going to continue finding yourself on track during the week, and derailing the train every weekend.

1.  Work the weekend into your routine. 

When you plan your routine, Saturday and Sunday are just two more days and they are absolutely no different than Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday.  In fact, they are probably better for training, because you likely don't have the same demands on your time that you do the other days of the week.  It's up to you, if you don't like to train on Saturday and Sunday, and would rather sleep all day than hit the gym, then make them your rest days...it's your call, just make sure it is a deliberate decision and not one that sneaks up on you Saturday morning.  Notice how the 12 week program encompasses Saturday and Sunday - it is not a five day work week.

2.  Be Accountable. 

Find a workout partner, or at least someone who can ask you Monday if you blew the weekend or not.  Just knowing that you are going to be interrogated for all your evil sins, can be enough of a motivator to get out of bed and go to the gym.  Of course, you have to respect the person you pick to hold you accountable, you have to actually care what they think of your response, otherwise there's no guilt and thus no consequence for not following through with your plan.  Maybe you need a "biggest loser" type of program where a personal trainer is constantly on your ass making sure you're on track.

3.  It's not All or Nothing. 

Training and eating properly every hour, every single day of the year for the rest of your life is not going to happen.  But don't think that just because you've missed a workout or cheated on a meal, it's all over and you are doomed to carry around that belly fat for the rest of your life.  The key is to stop the cheating or inactivity as soon as you can and then get back at it.  Consistency is what wins fitness contests, fights, and produces excellent physiques.

4.  Carry a water bottle with you. 

Likely you are going to be out and about on Saturday and Sunday.  Carrying water with you will keep you drinking it and if you don't know it, water is essential for losing weight and ensuring your body is operating at peak efficiency.  Yes, I know you're more likely to be carrying a beer bottle than a water bottle, but don't forget about the water - OK?

5.  Eat your veggies. 

You could be at a party, dinner, whatever, when the veggie platter comes around, scoop it up and eat like there is no tomorrow.  The more you fill up on the veggies, the less you're going to fill up on that roast beef and gravy or giant bowl of dessert.  You can never go wrong with veggies as long as they are veggies and not deep fried, fat coated morcels that might have been a vegetable at some time in its existence.

6.  Plan for the munchies. 

Boredom, inactivity, and having way too much time to yourself are all diet busters.  When you have nothing else to do, you eat -- and why not?  It tastes good.  So go ahead and eat, but plan for these times and have vegetables cut up, fruit in the fridge, or your other favorite, healthy, snacks so when the munchies hit, you grab the good stuff rather than the bad.

7.  Empty your cupboards. 

If nothing else sinks in, ensure this does -- do not have junk food in your cupboard.  If it's there, it's going to be gone by Monday.  It takes a whole lot more effort to walk down to the corner store to get something than it does to tear open a bag of chips calling you from the cupboard.

8.  Use Your Brain and take your time When Eating Out. 

Pick something semi-decent off the menu and don't supersize it cause you're cheap and looking for the best deal.  You don't need the extra food - waste of calories and money.  Don't rush it either -- eat half the burger and then wait a bit.  It takes about 20 minutes for your body to signal that you're full.  If you spread the meal out -- talk to the person you're with -not only will it be a more enjoyable evening for you both, but you'll eat less/do less damage as well.

9.  Moderate the alcohol intake. 

Yes, it's hard to pass up a beer or drink, but alcohol is the antichrist when it comes to your routine.  You drink too much, get drunk, and what happens?  You're hung over the next day.  So not only do you cause some bad damage in your body in terms of taking in tonnes of dense calories, and putting your liver on overdrive, but you also miss your next day's workout cause you feel too sick to move.  Even if you puke it all out, your body is pissed at you and takes time to recover.  Drink if you want, just nurse those drinks so you have less to fat to fix in the morning.

No matter what happens this weekend or the next or the next, the biggest thing to remember is to forget about feeling guilty.  Just pick up from where you left off. 

It's no different than running the 100m dash.  You know where the finish line is, it's just up to you how quick you get there.  The Olympic runner is going to get there fast cause they aren't cheating and they are training hard but that's their decision.  You'll still get to the finish line eventually (unless you turn completely around and run the other way) even if you mess up a bit along the way.