1. Build Better Habits
When I work with clients I try to build better habits into their routines and encourage them to adopt a long-term mentality, this is what sees them progress and maintain progress. At first their consistency is low but over time it improves as does their results. Feeling and seeing changes to your body empowers you to become more consistent.
Habits such as improving sleep, increasing daily steps, eating more fruit and vegetables, staying hydrated, training a sensible amount that matches work and family commitments and increasing protein intake are the fundamentals that build a healthy regime.
As that consistency builds up so too does the self control you have over your actions. This makes it easier to have those social occasions without it ruining the progress you have made so the first step to enjoying your social life while still making progress is to MAKE A BLOODY EFFORT TO IMPROVE YOUR LIFE as a whole.
If you do this then you won’t let an indulgent weekend, night out or trips away ruin your results. You are committed to the new habits you’ve created and your mind-set is long-term. You will pick yourself up after it dust yourself down and get on with it. You enjoyed yourself and it was worth every calorie. Yes you might halt your progress for a bit but that’s ok you are patient and you know the formula you are following works. The old you might have given up, went on a binge or panicked with a fluctuation in weight and really set yourself back but that’s not you anymore.
2. Understand your Why
When you truly understand your WHY and HOW you are empowered every day to make the right decisions. This may be the difference between controlling yourself on a night out versus going wild. Or it might be the reason why you now approach these occasions with a different mind-set.
Potential Client “I want to lose 2 stone and get fitter”
Trainer “Why”
Potential Client “I want to fit into my clothes”
Trainer “Why”
Potential Client “Because I want to feel confident again ”
Trainer “Why”
Potential Client “Because I don’t feel comfortable around my partner, I am very self conscious and I don’t feel we are as connected as we used to be because of this. I also struggle to be as active with the kids as I am out of breath easily, I feel like I could be more connected to my family as a whole if I could build my confidence and fitness which would really make me happy ”
Ok so now we know the real WHY behind your goals and also HOW it would make you feel. This is powerful and will help you to prioritise what is important to you most when trying to build consistency with habits and control with your social events. Ask yourself is it more important than my WHY?
3. Save some calories
If you are out every weekend partying it up, eating out and/or getting high calorie takeaways it is going to be pretty hard for you to stay in that calorie deficit on a consistent basis and see progress. Having the odd night out though doesn’t need to be a deal breaker. We also have to remember nights out, eating fine food, socialising with friends and family gives us pleasure, its mentally rewarding and sometimes its needed and well worth the set backs should there be any.
If you do plan to overindulge at the weekend then a sensible approach would be to eat a little less in the days leading up to your day/night out where you will be eating and drinking in excess of what is normal to you. This is called balancing it out and is an approach that can go a long way to maintaining your progress.
Something as simple as eating 100-150 calories less per day for 6 days will give you 600-900 extra calories to use up on your day/night out. I wouldn’t advise doing this on a regular basis but it is certainly something that will help you.
If you track calories then this is usually a lot easier and simpler to do rather than just winging it. But remember one day off is not going to kill your progress just like one good day of eating isn’t going to get you very far either.
Always think long term and remember that those who are consistent in their approach, making an effort to build better habits, adopting a long term mentality and understand their WHY will be the ones who succeed the furthest.