There were many times in my past that I would say, “I worked out today I can have some ice cream”. Usually I was with friends or family when making such declarations and they too would concur and indulge with me. Then the next day we would say, “Ugh, I can’t believe we ate all that ice cream last night we’re gonna have to run more stairs today”. Then of course because we shoved our faces full of sugar the day before we lost steam before we even hit our Bonus Flights of Stairs to Burn Yesterday’s Ice Cream Calories.

It took a while, but I have learned better… Those types of habits bring up two thoughts that are very much interconnected.

You Can’t Out Train a Bad Diet

and

Consistency Beats Compensation

 This post comes to you today compliments of two very wiped out athletes I had in the gym this morning. You’ve seen it or felt it yourself… hands on knees longer than they are on the bar. That feeling of “Where the hell am I going to find the next ounce of energy to my hands from my knees to the bar and then up in the air with the bar?” About 10 minutes into a workout and a major “Bonk”, extremely sluggish, somewhat sick to the stomach, and just completely lost about where your energy went. “Mondays are always the worst!” I hear (and I sometimes feel!)

Upon further investigation… What did the past three days look like? Up late, pizza, beers, greasy hangover food, kid’s uneaten French fries. And with more inquiry I hear…

“I worked hard last week in the gym, my body needed the calories.”

Hmm… Yes! Your body does need the calories, just not in that form. To solidify the points above; your butt kicking workouts in the gym during the week will never balance out a two or three day weekend free for all. An athlete finds themselves in “Catch Up” mode on Monday morning and sometimes well into the week.

Not the news we would like to hear! But there is a way to help cope with the unseen forces of last minute pizza temptations on the weekend. A way to help carry over your good habits during the week so you can be consistent no matter what the day is.

How to get around those pesky weekend temptations?

First of all, determine your goals. Answer why do I work out?

For example: Why Do I Work Out?

I work out so I can eat/drink (fill in the blank) whenever I want! (Yes, I hear this often.)

This is in the realm of Catch Up or compensation with the desire to offset eating whatever you want. If this is you expect to maintain at best or become ill at worst. Reality check: you will most likely see your body composition, health bio-metrics, and performance in the gym slowly suffer over time or remain stagnant.

This could look like maintenance, which is great if you like where you are!

If you are comfortable with this goal then aim to enjoy and find a good balance between enjoying your nutrition choices and the benefits of working out.

I work out to shed pounds and grow muscle, I want to look better!

This is where you will benefit hugely from deliberate consistency in the kitchen and in the gym. Planning! Plan when you will work out, plan what you will eat, loosely plan when you will eat it (i.e. post workout nutrition!). Here you will find success in shedding pounds and toning up because you are consistently in the gym and in the habit of preparing your meals. Because you are being conscious about what and when you eat you will have more energy to push harder in the gym creating a snowball effect of awesome results in your body. Also the more you are conscious and prepared the easier it will be to navigate around those weekend free for alls, or at least keep it in check.  Keep in mind as you shed more fat and gain more muscle it is necessary to become more focused and intentional with what you consume to continue to see results.

I work out because I like to push hard and push my limits to see how fast, strong, and powerful I can be!

This is a slightly beefed up version of the person above, it is like turning yourself into a science experiment to find what you are capable of. In order to find what you are capable of with your performance it is very necessary to think about how you fuel your body for your next training session.

What you eat today will manifest tomorrow in your energy during your workout. You will find a lot of trial and error in your daily food intake is necessary to learn what works best for you. As a side effect of learning about yourself and your body and what you are capable of your body will respond and transform to the care and attention you give it.

I work out because I like the extra energy and abilities it affords me!

Here you find yourself in a more relaxed version of the performance junkie above. You will more than likely have a good balance of appreciating the energy you have during your workouts and going about your regular day. It is still important to find what nutrition choices helps you feel as awake during the after lunch meeting at work as it is 25 minutes into your workout. You aren’t however as interested in cultivating and then squeezing out every available resource to get a personal best each week. In this mode your nutrition is consistently nourishing but can be relaxed and indulgent occasionally, especially when planned (m’yeah…not the whole weekend!).

 Once you have determined your goal, get to planning about how to achieve it.

• Figure out when you can work out
• Schedule that for yourself and set a reminder.
• Prepare for it by having what you need to work out (clothes, equipment, pre/post workout nutrition, etc)
• Get it Done!

Then

• Figure out when you can meal plan (once every week? Once every day?)
• Figure out when you can grocery shop (One big trip a week with two smaller ones? Once every few days? Every day?)
• Figure out when you can prep your food (once a week? Every day? Every few days?)
• Schedule those times for yourself
• Get it Done! Yes! Right Now!

 Example:

Finally… Play with it! Find what works for you. The process of achieving better health is life long and it consists of a lot of trial and error and willingness to try new things. By the nature of life you will have obstacles arise and you will have to go back to the drawing board on your best laid plans. You may hit bumps and stumble but the more practice you have playing with the process the easier it will be to navigate the bumps. If you are consistent with this process you will see the results align with your goals.

Go Get It!