WEEKEND NUTRITION SURVIVAL GUIDE

By: Jen Shaw

The weekend...A.K.A. killer of all diets, is more often than not where people break. What is it about "the weekend" that makes people jump off shit pier and ruin everything? Even if you are absolutely perfect Monday through Friday you will completely blow your goals if you food orgy pizza and beer for two days, or even one full day. 

So, in an effort to help you battle the weekend slip-ups, I want to share the rules that I abide by. They might seem dumb or maybe even minuscule....but you they're the keys to coming out of the weekend on top and in control.

RULES OF THE WEEKEND

1. There are no "cheat days" so stop. 

First, stop using the word "cheat." It's super negative and means you are doing something wrong which you are not, you are living. However, going on a sugar bender all day will absolutely ruin you. Yes, you can recover from it and move on for sure. However if you are involved in anything like "GET RIPPED" that only lasts six weeks you are really stunting your progress. 

2. NEVER ever treat yourself on Sunday night.

Sunday night is usually the night before you are back at the gym and lifting heavy. Treating yourself on Sunday night will sabotage your workout and possibly how you feel when you wake up Monday morning. Only good things Sunday night. 

3. If you MUST have a bad meal, do it at lunch - not dinner. 

It's much harder to recover from a treat if you have it at dinner. Eating bad and then going to sleep leaves you feeling like crap in the morning. So after your treat at lunch drink water, nap, eat a good dinner and have all the good things before you sleep. 

4. NEVER EVER drink after you eat your last meal of the day. 

I cannot stress this enough. Have you ever woken up anywhere between 2-4am sweating and your heart racing and beating out of your chest? That's drinking, and sugar. I suggest you have your cocktails before dinner, then eat, then water. Wine after meals, the worst. All of that sugar just sitting there waiting to crush your sleep at 2am. 

Try it and let me know how it works! 

PAIN, PLEASURE & WORKING OUT

I hear the following statement A LOT and it drives me to the brink of insanity every time.

"I need to get in shape before I start working out."

WHAT THE.........?!

As much as this self-defeating mentality drives me f*cking bonkers.....I get it. Working out can be very intimidating. This is especially the case when you are starting from scratch, walk into a gym and see fit men and women throwing around atlas stones, sandbags, barbells and whatever else may be close at hand. I get it. 

In addition, through my years of coaching and just being a human - I've come to understand that humans do whatever they can to avoid pain(physical pain, embarrassment, feeling unaccepted, etc.) and experience pleasure(acceptance, achievement, growth, community, etc). Sometimes this basic human programming gets a little screwy, but at it's core, it makes perfect sense that people are very hesitant to just jump right into the type of shit we do here at TCS. This makes me sad. : (

So when awesome people say stuff like "I need to get in shape before I start working out", I hear their protection mechanism coming up with a way to avoid pain. You see, if they "get in shape" then they feel like they will have a better understanding of how to actually workout and won't look stupid to others(avoiding pain). They have the idea that they'll come back to the gym 10-20lbs lighter, looking hott as hell and look like they belong in this social group - and therefore be accepted(pleasure). 

Of course this is just one scenario of many, but I'm sure you can see yourself and/or someone you know in this example.

The trick for us humans to learn is how to utilize these powerful drivers - pain and pleasure - to our benefit. Think of it this way......look 10 years into the future. Assuming you don't change a damn thing.....how do you look, feel, move? Is it what you hoped for at that age? Can you play with your kids/grand kids/dogs? For those of you that continue to postpone initiating some form of consistent training program, I would imagine that the thought of you in 10 years may be a little painful......Yes? Use this pain as your motivation. Do the logical thing to avoid this pain and get started ASAP! I promise, once you get through the initial phase of starting this program you'll feel far more pleasure.

The key to successfully making this transformation happen occurs in the first couple weeks. This is when you really want to create a solid foundation of movement knowledge and competency. If you rush through this phase in an effort to catch up with everyone else, you'll find yourself too sore to move, frustrated with little or no progress, and/or injured - putting you back at square one. No good.

Be patient. Learn from a quality coach that pays attention to the details and pushes you to hold a higher standard for yourself and your movements. Do that, and the success (pleasure) will undoubtedly come.  

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If this post lights a fire under your ass, and you're ready to take action, here are a couple options for you:

FOUNDATIONS -

All long-lasting structures require a solid foundation. We take this law and apply it to each new athlete. In Foundations, we begin the development of confidence, comprehension, strength, conditioning and mental toughness. No matter your experience level, Foundation sessions are specifically designed to appropriately challenge you and start you on a successful path.
Contact travis@traviscountystrength.com to set up your Foundations.

CONDITIONING CLASS -

This drop-in only($25) class is offered most Saturdays at 9am. We encourage new athletes - of any experience level - to give this class a shot because the class size and workout design lends itself well to introducing new athletes to working out. Register Here