Getting Back on Track After a Weekend of "Cheat Meals" and Partying

Hi everyone! So, over the weekend I had a celebration and obviously may have had a little more cheat meals than I should have and partied a bit more than I usually do.

I think we all have those weekends or even weeks that gets us thrown off track and has us indulging in things we normally wouldn’t. While it’s really fun and you get to eat ALL the delicious food, it’s also really hard to get back on track after a few days of this.

That’s why today I’m going to help all of you with how to get back on track after a weekend of cheat meals and partying because, well, I need some help, too! This is how you can have a crazy weekend and still manage to start your Motivation Monday off right.

Stay Hydrated

Partying usually goes hand in hand with having a few drinks – at least it does for me every once in awhile– especially during celebrations. Which means you’re more than likely dehydrated at this point. One great way to start feeling better and to even get rid of cravings is to stay hydrated. Add a liter of water to the normal amount of water you usually drink in a day to get back on track after a weekend of fun.

Reevaluate Your Goals

Sometimes one weekend is enough to derail us from our goals the Monday after. We get so caught up in the drinking and eating junk food that we think it’s not a big deal to just have a few more cheat meals during the week.

One way for you guys to get back on track is to reevaluate your goals. Open that picture up again or go find that piece of paper that had them all written down. Coming face to face with those goals will push you to stick to your diet and exercise program.

Prepare Healthy Snacks And Meals

When you have a few cheat meals, chances are those meals were BIG – I know mine always are. That means your stomach has stretched out a little bit and you’ll start to feel hungrier more often than you did when you were in your prime routine.

In order to get back on track, you should prepare healthy snacks and meals that you can just grab quickly and eat. If you have to wait and think about what you want to eat, you’ll probably end up choosing something that resembles your cheat meal weekend. Always aim for fruit, nuts, or healthy forms of protein to keep you feeling full!

If you struggle with this, you could utilize the Customized Meal Plan program which will give you tons of recipes to keep you on track to reach your goals.

Never Skip A Monday

This is the GOLDEN RULE! If you really want to stay on track after a weekend where you partied a little more than usual, never skip that Monday. You may feel tired, weak, and kind of crappy from all the junk food, but you HAVE to get into that gym and eat the same foods you were before.

By going in on that Monday, you’re telling your body that it’s time to get back on track and you’re also showing yourself that you can get right back to it without skipping a day. Mondays are so important because they’re always the hardest. If you can push past it and go in on a Monday, you can do it on any day.

Get Right Back To Your Previous Routine

Just because you took a weekend off doesn’t mean that your routine is completely ruined. Your body will recognize being back in the routine and start to feel much better if you stick to it. Don’t wait a week before going back to things as you did before, start right away and it’ll wake your body up!

Detox Drink

After a weekend of fun, your body is probably filled with toxins that you don’t normally have. One way to kick extra cravings and feel all-around better is to drink a detox drink first thing Monday morning.

This will not only wake up your system, but it will help flush out all of that junk that you put into your body during your free for all. This recipe is a great one for detoxing your system so you’ll feel better and be reenergized to get right back on track. Plus, it’s delicious!

Watermelon – One cup cut up is enough for one glass. Watermelon actually has an amino acid that can help  your kidneys and liver flush out toxins that got built up over the weekend.

Cucumber – Half a cucumber is all you need. This is helpful for the same exact reason watermelon is and it helps keep you hydrated to reduce cravings.

Lemon – Lemons are powerful at detoxing your body and adding a little freshness to the flavor.

Lime – Lime goes really well with watermelon and mint and will tie this whole drink together by adding its own detoxifying agents, as well.

Mint Leaves – 4-5 large leaves will do for this recipe. Mint is not only refreshing, but it will also help kick those cravings you developed from letting yourself indulge over the weekend and even ease your stomach if you’re not feeling well.

Directions: Chop the watermelon, cucumbers, and mint into small pieces and add them to 8-12oz of water.  Squeeze half a lemon and half a lime into the mixture. Drink up and enjoy!

Overall, the most important thing you can do to get back on track after a weekend of cheat meals and partying is to get right back into your routine – same workouts, same meals, etc. Doing this will get your body back into the swing of things and it’ll be easier for you to maintain.

This happens to everyone – even the best of us – so it’s really important for us all to know how to get back on track. Tell me about a time you had to get back on track and what you did to maintain your routine after a weekend of cheat meals and partying!

Jen Selter’s Travel Workout Tips

Hi my loves! I recently went out of the country for a few weeks and thought I’d share my favorite travel workout tips with you.

I was having a wonderful time enjoying the beautiful scenery and food, but then I got sick.😷 

At first all I wanted to do was curl up in bed, skip my workouts and be sad, but instead I decided to take it slow and make one healthy choice at a time. I decided to stick with my workout plan, but lower all of the reps and skip the more intense exercises. I still got up every day and did something, but I always listened to my body.

Moving around and doing some light exercise actually helped my recovery. Working out can be hard, but do you know what can be even harder?  Listening to your body. Especially when you’re sick, jet lagged or injured. 

That’s why I’m sharing these workout travel tips with you, but feel free to use them any time your body tells you to go a little easy. 

And remember, as you’re doing my Fitplan workouts, always take things at your own pace and don’t compare yourself to others or where you should be. Every plan can be modified, so just do you and your body will thank you.

Because I love you all, here are my seven top tips for sticking with your Fitplan while on vacation.

 

Plan Your Workouts Into Your Itinerary

Empower yourself to make fitness a priority even when on vacation. You want to look and feel your best, so adding fitness to your must-do list is a totally logical thing to do. Carve out an hour each morning to be active, and it’ll set the rest of your day up to be amazing. Selter Squats on the beach during sunrise? That’s the ultimate vacay workout.

Pack Portable Workout Gear

When putting together your packing list, be sure to include everything you’ll need to complete a workout. My go-to’s are resistance bands and loops, sports bras, one or two pairs of sneakers and, who am I kidding, all the leggings. I love leggings because you can wear them to work out, go shopping, check out a museum or just lounge in your room. Leggings are your friend, especially on vacation. 

Wear a Fitness Tracker

Whether it’s a Fitbit, Apple Watch or whatever you use to track your heart rate, calories and steps, be sure to bring it with you. It will be a reminder to get your workout in if you happened to get sidetracked —which can totally happen on vacation. It’s a beautiful world out there. 

Be Resourceful

You may not have access to a gym, a dumbbell, or maybe you blanked and forgot your resistance bands. But look around you, you can create resistance with a variety of everyday objects. 

An unopened water bottle makes a great weight perfect for split squats (one in each hand), forward twist lunges, curl to overhead press —you get the idea.

Any of my exercises that require dumbbells can be substituted with 1.5L water bottles. If they feel too light, increase your speed and reps, but be careful, of course.

You can also use a bottle of laundry detergent, books, rocks, coconuts (I’m serious!), and La Croix cans (just don’t open them for a while after your workout.) 

And of course, for most my workouts, all you really need is your own bodyweight. 

Make a Vacay Workout Playlist

We know that music is essential to zoning in on any workout. Making a brand-new vacay workout playlist will not only get you in the zone, but you’ll forever associate those songs with that amazing trip you take. Whenever you listen, you’ll be transported back to that time and place. Check out my vacay playlist here. (link to Spotify playlist).

Calories Do Count on Vacation

I know, babes. This is the hard truth. We all want to indulge on vacation, and you know what? You should. Just be sure not to do it for every meal. Balance is key, and you’ll feel a lot better in the end and won’t have to start over when you get back to reality (which is hard enough as it is!). 

Listen to Your Body

Like I said above, it’s so important to listen to your body. Sometimes your muscles need a vacation, too, and they’ll definitely let you know. If that’s the case, be sure to stay active by taking a walk, going for a hike, paddle boarding, etc. The most important thing is to keep your body moving, just avoid straining it when you feel it needs a break. 

Remember, we travel not to escape life, but for life to not escape us ❤️✈️🌎  

xoxoxo, 

Jen  

Stay Fit on the Go With These Easy to Master Full Body Workouts

Hi there all! This is a question I get ALL the time, “Jen, how do I workout when I’m traveling?” It’s been asked so many times that I think it’s really important to answer it in this blog instead of just individually.

I also love this topic because it I can relate to it so much. I travel quite a bit and that means I have to sacrifice my gym time because there just isn’t a gym readily available all the time. So, I’ve come up with some really effective workouts that are really easy to master no matter where you are.

Bench Dips

This is one of the easiest workouts to do because you can do it on just about any chair-like surface – even a bed works! All you have to do is face away from the chair/bench/bed or whatever it is you’re using, put your hands on the seat surface, and lower yourself down and push yourself back up to activate and work those triceps!

Jump Squats

I can’t tell you enough how great jump squats are for engaging not only your glutes, but your whole legs. The explosive power used in jump squats helps to grow your booty, tone your thighs, and chisel those calves! Start off this workout with your feet shoulder width apart (wider if this is uncomfortably too close for you), angle your feet outward just slightly, lower yourself into a squatting position, and jump straight up as high as you can. When you come back down go right into your next jump squat.

Planks

This is another really effective workout that you can literally do anywhere! This exercise is mostly known for working your abs, but it also gives your shoulders, quads, and back a workout, too. There are a few different ways you can do planks and all of them are perfect for staying fit on the go. All you need to do is get on the floor (preferably a soft area), put your feet out behind you and lean on your elbows with your body straight. Hold this for as long as you can and then rest for 30 seconds before doing it again. Do this 3 times and you’ll start to feel the burn! Another way to do this that is a little bit easier for those of you just starting your fitness journey is to move up to your hands instead of your elbows.

Burpees

If you know what a burpee is, then you probably hate it! The reason most people don’t like this workout that’s great for staying fit on the go is because it’s so HARD – which also means it works. All you do is lay flat on the ground on your stomach with your toes against the ground and your hands pushing on the ground just at the side of your stomach. Next, push up with your hands and snap your legs under you so you’re in a squat position and jump straight up into the air. It’s basically like combining a pushup with a jump squat but when you come back down from the jump, you get pack into your push-up stance and start all over.

Push-Ups

This is another fantastic workout that really gets your whole body involved and it’s perfect for staying fit on the go because you can do it just about anywhere, your hotel room, a park, or even in the airport! Get down on the ground laying on your stomach, keep your body in a straight line, and push up off the ground from your sides. When you come back down make sure your elbows get to 90 degrees or less in order to gain the most benefits! If some of you aren’t able to do a full push-up but still want to get a good workout in, just put your knees on the ground and do the same thing. It’s a little bit easier but gets the job done!

Tips for Staying Fit on the Go

Here are just a few additional tips that can help you burn more calories and stay more fit when you’re on vacation, traveling for work, or even to use in your everyday lives.

Take the Stairs

Elevators are great for going up and down floors quickly, but they’re also not nearly as beneficial as taking the stairs. Taking the stairs is just a no-brainer if you want to stay fit on the go because it’s literally a manmade workout that you won’t even notice you’re getting. It makes a big difference if you start using the stairs every day instead of the elevator.

Stand Instead of Sit

If you have a job that makes you sit down a lot, just stand up and do your work instead. It burns more calories and is much better for your back and core. You can also stand and do calf raises if you really want to take your fitness on the go up a notch.

Always Carry a Water Bottle

You should always make sure you’re carrying around a water bottle with you everywhere. Staying hydrated is one of the most important part of staying fit on the go and you’ll always have access to it.

Utilize Your Environment

I’m sure you all have noticed by now that I don’t always use the gym to get a workout in. Sometimes I’m in a park or out on the balcony. You should always look around you and start utilizing your environment as workout equipment no matter where you are!

I understand more than anyone that you can’t always be in the comfort of your own at times. You may have to travel and you still have to be fit no matter where you are. These easy to master workouts are perfect for those of you who want to stay fit on the go!

Let me know which of these workouts are your favorite and why!