As I often take Monday’s to reflect on the weekend..since its a pretty common Monday morning question at the office, I’ve realized my responses are changing. Typically I would spend Sunday’s as a day of regret, and marking Monday as my day of retaliation against the weekend, back to the grind, and renewal of promises I have made to my self. But lately, these Monday’s are happening less often, and my Sundays are more dedicated to preparing for the week to come, rather than mourning my fallen battles. And while some might say its because I’m becoming more boring, I’d like to think its because I’m dedicated.
As my Timehop so often likes to remind me… especially in my college days, I used to refer to myself as a “weekend warrior”. In case you re unsure about what Timehop is, its an awful, terrible, app that reminds you everyday how you made an ass of yourself (okay at least in my case) on every single social media outlet you are on, on each given day in history. Unfortunately, my Timehop goes back as far as 7 years, so you can only imagine. But it is fun to look at.
So anyways, “Weekend Warrior” My self -given title, meaning, when the weekend came (or Thursday)I would almost take pride in drinking as much as humanely possibly to allow myself to eat as much as possible, until Sunday morning in which I awoke hungover, tired, sluggish, ect. I commended myself for surviving the weekend, and for all my “accomplishments”. It would take me hours to get anywhere near productive, and then I’d then slowly start to function as a human being by consuming endless amounts of coffee and eating greasy “hangover” food like a bacon, egg, and cheese or my leftover Chinese food, before cramming in all the work I was supposed to do over the weekend.
This tradition kinda overflowed post graduation, but on a smaller scale. I now find myself calling myself a”Weekend Warrior” for the complete opposite reason. Trying to maintain a social life as a 23 year old, (almost 24, *begin panic mode* ) while avoiding alcohol and food temptations over the weekend, is extremely difficult. It’s not always easy being the one drinking water at the bar (disguised with limes of course), or passing on dessert at a family party (when in my family there is one at least every weekend, as no birthday goes un-celebrated) when everyone around you is indulging, and hey, why shouldn’t they its the weekend, nothing wrong with that.
For me personally, the the difference is I am finally committed to changing my life and these things don’t work if I consistently put my efforts on hold to enjoy the weekend. I’m not saying I never give in or treat myself, because I certainly do but I’ve definitely seen what happens when I put in my best efforts all week only to derail over the weekend, and its not a fun feeling.
So as much as this journey is about consistency, which is one of the most important aspects, it is also about balance. I have definitely learned how to say no, but I am also not so tunnel visioned that I will not give in if I really want something. The difference is I am in control now, and I make decisions based on how I’m feeling, as opposed to being based on peer pressure or guilt. So no, its not good to over indulge every weekend, but it is okay to treat yourself every once in a while too. For example, at a family event this weekend somebody asked me “How do you stay on your diet during occasions like this?” At that exact moment, I was holding a huge plate of food that I definitely didn’t log into MyFitnesspal. But I passed on the roll, and dessert, so I marked that battle as a win. You just got to keep fighting, and accept the losses along with the wins. So here’s to being a weekend warrior, fighting my inner demons one cupcake, or slice of pizza, and one battle at a time.
Forever Last in Gym Class 