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Wellness > Health

Lose the Freshman 15: The Weekend – A Time to Get Moving, Not to Rest

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For most normal people out there, the weekend is a time to recuperate and recover from the chaos of the workweek. But for those of us crazy dieters (and when I say crazy, I mean it in the most endearing way possible, and when I say diet, I hope that you’re on the Jumpstart Diet with me!), the weekend is actually a time to catch up on the exercise that you may have missed out on thanks to the chaos of the workweek.

Much like my fellow blogger Nikki, this week was a total work out disaster for me. Meaning I didn’t work out…at all. Okay, so I did run 7 miles on Monday, but not so much on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday.
 
Actually, I didn’t do anything exercise-worthy on any of those days, and I’m pretty ashamed of it. But I can’t beat myself up over it, because this week is in the past.
 
What I can do, and what I did do, was take this weekend as an opportunity to catch up on my work out routine and get myself back into the groove of working out.
 
IMG 3725I woke up bright and early at 7 a.m. on Saturday morning to run a 6k with my roommate, Emily. She had never run a race before and she was super nervous about it, so I decided to join her for moral support and to keep her motivated.
 
The race was for Habitat for Humanity, and it was actually my first 6k too, which is approximately 3.7 miles. It was exciting for me to see how a race on this level would go, considering I’d only run my half marathon three weeks ago. 
 
But the race went amazingly well!
 
Emily is a beginning runner, so we took the course nice and slow and we finished in less than 50 minutes, which was what I was aiming for. She was really worried that she would have to stop and walk during the run, but I am SO incredibly proud to say that she ran the whole way, and I’m so happy that I could be there to support her in her first race.
 
However, that wasn’t the only exercise I got on Saturday. I also ran an additional 4 miles and did a fitness video later in the day. I may have gone a little crazy, but I had a lot of catching up to do after this past week!
 
Sunday was no different. I did another fitness video, and then I participated in a kickball tournament, in which I was running all over the place for 4 hours. It was organized chaos at its finest, and it was the best kind of fun.
 
Getting back into the groove of working out this weekend showed to me just how important exercising on the weekends can be. You don’t have to go crazy like I did and run 7.7 miles in one day, but you shouldn’t spend your whole weekend inside lounging on the couch, because it’s only going to make working out on Monday harder to do.
 
Instead, take some time for yourself to relax by sleeping in or enjoying a movie night. But, resolve to spend your afternoons doing something fun AND physical. There are so many easy ways to get yourself in motion by spice up your weekend activities with a little fitness. Here are just a few ideas:

  1. SB COUNTY SWIM MEETGo for a swim: Whether you live near the beach or not, give swimming a try! Swimming is honestly one of the best workouts that you can give your body, and you can do it in an ocean, in a lake or even in a pool. But the best part is that you’ll be working on your tan AND working out, what more could you ask for?
  2. Explore your city: Go for a walk or hike in a part of your city that you’ve never been before! Check out a new trail, visit a local park or climb a mountain (if you’re fortunate enough to live in them). You’ll be exploring uncharted areas and you’ll be getting a good work out in, too. Bring a (healthy) picnic with you and you can eat once you’ve gone on your walk or hike!
  3. Enjoy a night out on the town… and dance!: There is no better exercise than some good ol’ dancing, so grab your closest group of friends and hit the town for a night out full of dancing. It doesn’t matter where you go, what you wear or who you’re with, just as long as you’re dancing the night away and enjoying yourself.
  4. Initiate a game: Get your friends together and play a pick-up game of the sport of your choice. Soccer, basketball, flag football, volleyball or Frisbee, it doesn’t matter which one, just as long as your getting your body in motion.

With all of these ideas, there’s no reason to spend your weekend inside being lazy. And there’s no reason to fret over going to the gym when you can hang out with your friends, have fun and STILL work out! So my challenge to you is to try out one of these ideas next weekend.
 
Make some plans. Follow-through. And get your body moving.
 
Come Monday, you’ll feel great about yourself and your body, and you’ll be even more inclined to continue exercising throughout the week!
 
Do you have any fun ways that you incorporate exercise into your weekend plans? Share them with me! Leave me a comment below or tweet me here. Also, why not jump on board and join me on the Jumpstart Diet? It’s never too late to jumpstart your diet and your life!

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Sara Kaner
Sara Kaner was born and raised in Santa Barbara, California and first fell in love with journalism as a freshman in high school thanks to her wonderful Intro to Journalism teacher. A family move brought her to Fort Myers, Florida the summer after her freshman year of high school, but she continued to pursue an interest in journalism. She is in her second year at the University of Florida and is pursuing a dual degree in Public Relations and Psychology. She is heavily involved on the UF campus and dedicates most of her time to her various organizations and to her friends. She loves people, magazines, sports and social media, and she hopes to combine all three in her job someday. For now, she aspires to attend Law School and specialize in Media Law. She secretly aspires to be Chelsea Handler, but she's happy being herself for the moment, just as long as she can lose the freshman 15 this semester.