Red Alert! Red Alert! Monday Morning Detox!

We’ve all had weekends where we ate too much, drank a few extra beers and added a few pounds to our midsection. I think these weekends are the biggest threat to our being able to maintain healthy weight! This is especially prevalent this time a year, with all the holiday parties and meet-ups with friends.

So, what do we do when we get on that scale (*) on Monday morning and we’re up 3-4lbs?

It’s time for DETOX Monday.. and Tuesday!

Over the first 2 days of the new week, it’s time to cleanse out some of the damage that we did over the weekend. Remember, damaging weight gain is cumulative – Usually over several days, weeks and months. So if we can try to make a dent in our overall calorie intake after those times where we over-indulge, we’ve got a shot at longer term weight management.

Major Objectives:

• Cut 300-500 calories out of your daily intake for these 2 days.
• Add 15-25 minutes of cardio to your workout.

Minor Additions:

• Add a few extra glasses of water to your routine on these days to help “cleanse” and clear out some of the extra sodium you’ve probably accumulated over the weekend.
• Look to eat ALL healthy options over these two days. This alone may help you with the before-mentioned calorie reduction. Come on, you can live without that Ice Cream for 2 nights!
• Try a cup of Green Tea a couple of times a day to curb your desire for sweets. Plus, there has been research showing the connection between Green Tea and increased metabolism, but I’m not getting into them right now! If you work a desk job like me, try a cup mid-morning, mid-afternoon, and one at night a couple of hours before bed (But be sure that this one is decaffeinated)
• Lunch time on Monday and Tuesday should be physical. Go for a 30-minute walk, hit the stairs for 30 minutes, anything to get moving! Then a light lunch should be the order of the day!

This whole concept goes back to the idea of overall moderation, that when you increase calorie intake, you need to balance it out somewhere. I hope this gives you an option that will make you feel rejuvenated and in charge of your own health destiny.

* If you don’t have a scale, get one! There are plenty of good digital scales out there! And nothing keeps you more accountable then checking that magic number every day!