Happy, Healthy Weekend

Aah, the weekend. Time to relax, indulge, stay up late and sleep later … or maybe not.

Sure, it’s nice (and necessary) to have a break from the daily grind. It gives people time to catch up on life outside the office, to engage in family time and leisure activities, as well as take care of those obligations and errands that somehow don’t get done during a busy workweek.

The problem comes when people throw health and wellness efforts out the window come Friday and then try to pick them back up on Monday.

Loosening up a little bit on your off-days won’t derail all of the progress you’ve made. But without maintaining at least some measure of your day-to-day routine, you’ll only succeed in making things harder on yourself.

One or two missed workouts won’t necessarily cause anyone to give up their exercise efforts altogether, but from a psychological standpoint, it could open the door to skipping workouts more frequently.

The same goes for other health habits, such as eating right. Planning a restaurant meal or two? Just make sure to make smart choices, including choosing lighter options, splitting entrees with a dining partner, or passing on the complimentary pre-meal basket of bread.

As for weekend sleep habits, try to maintain your normal bedtime and wake-up hours. Not only does sleep keep the body primed and ready to enjoy the weekend fun, getting enough of it will make Monday morning easier to face.

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