There’s a pretty large group of fitness bloggers out there who do great with their routines during the week. They have the added structure of a 9-5 job Monday through Friday that forces them to eat well and exercise well. But when the weekend rolls around and they have more free time, sometimes they find it challenging to maintain the momentum that they built up during the week.
As a stay at home dad, I don’t find that my job lends itself more to eating better and exercising frequently during the week than it does on the weekend. But I still do struggle on the weekends for various reasons. One of these reasons is that my wife is home more on the weekends than during the week. She exercises a lot more than me, frequently running over 80 miles per week. As a result, there’s much more flexibility in both the amounts and types of foods that she can eat without seeing a deleterious affect on the scale. As a result, she eats a lot more carbs than me and those carbs sometimes tempt me during the weekend. I’m not blaming my wife for my issues surrounding the challenges that the weekend present to me, they are what they are and I have definitely improved.
But, weekends are still hard for me. So I’ve decided to join my fellow fitness bloggers and take on the Weekend Warrior Challenge. Here are my three measurable goals for this upcoming weekend:
- Exercise for at least 1 hour during the weekend.
- Weigh no more on Monday morning than I did on Saturday morning.
- Limit my intake of refined/processed carbohydrates such as pastas, breads, tortillas, cookies, and crackers to 1 serving per day. A serving will be defined by the package, not by how much I actually eat!
These goals should be very doable for me except for maybe the carb goal. But since I’m leaving for a vacation Monday morning, I should be able to motivate myself. I’m not planning on counting calories while I’m gone, just staying active in the gym, on the trails, and on the golf course. It should be a great week.
If you’d like to join the weekend warrior challenge, click the link above and set up your goals! It could be fun. For me, knowing that other people are doing it will give me some added motivation to not be the guy who fails where everyone succeeds. That kind of stuff works great on my psyche!
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m pretty good about working out on the weekends, and also (usually) get some additional exercise from various DIY projects. My biggest weekend issue is eating healthy, as we often go out for a big lunch after the kids finish with Saturday morning martial arts.
.-= fit36.com´s last blog ..How Many Calories to Lose a Pound of Fat? =-.
I am the same with fit36. I usually stay pretty active during the weekend. I looked a a spreadsheet I’ve done with all of my workouts and the days that I failed to workout most were Fridays or Tuesdays for some reason.
Have fun on vacation!
.-= seth´s last blog ..February ReCap & an Idea =-.
I vary on the weekends, sometimes I’m really good, other times I’m lazy as heck! At least it gives me the opportunity to do outdoor activities in the daytime, otherwise it’s too dark when I get home from work.
Since I’m in the throes of marathon training and my long runs are on Sat/Sun, I am definitely holding my own on the weekend. My runs have been about 3.5 hours at a time…
.-= ShutupandRun´s last blog ..I Cross Train, Therefore I Am =-.
Great goals you’ve set for yourself Mac, happy to have you as part of the challenge!
And enjoy your vacation!
.-= Brandon´s last blog ..Living a healthy and active lifestyle while working a desk job =-.
I’m going to steal your goal number 2!
.-= AndrewE´s last blog ..A run with the Queen =-.
seth: I’m betting Friday is because it’s the end of the week, and you convince yourself that you have the weekend to catch up.
.-= fit36.com´s last blog ..How Many Calories to Lose a Pound of Fat? =-.
Very good. I can tell you the big DIAL on my weight loss dashboard is CALORIES per day. That is the thing I will watch above all else this point forward.
.-= Frank Dobner´s last blog ..The Only Weight Loss Law =-.
I still can’t get over that your wife runs more than 80 miles per week!! that’s amazing!
.-= Margot´s last blog ..Getting That Hunger =-.
Great post, and comforting to see that I am not alone in my weekend struggles. I always start the week with a guilty conscience because of my lack of exercise/ bad food habits. However, I will take the challenge….and the internetz can serve as my accountability partner. At the risk of being a plagarist, I think your goals fit my needs/ weaknesses perfectly.
Keep up the good work !
Good luck this weekend … I know the carbs are hard for me since we usually eat out once or twice on the weekend with friends and family. Stay strong and make healthy choices.
.-= Sean (Learn Fitness)´s last blog ..Weekly Workout Roundup =-.