In most cases, when it comes to your social life and fitness, one has to give way for the other. However, you can have the fitness and social life you need in equal measure.
Let’s be honest with ourselves, a good number of people aren’t into fitness for their health, but rather just to look good.
In a way, most folks get into fitness because they want to look attractive, get six-pack abs, flat tummy, slim waist, and a chiseled jaw. In short, we can say that we are in the fitness business for social accolades. We want to look cool, get admiration from people, and boost our social profile.
But getting the social life that we want comes at a price. Our social lives have a way of having an adverse effect on our diet, thus derailing us from our fitness goals. From the dinners to happy hours and late-night pizza at the office, social activities usually come with a load of unhealthy drinking and eating.
The good news is that you don’t have to pick between having a social life and fitness. Although you can’t go on a drinking spree all week long, you can do things in moderation, take a little drink/junk food here and there, and not derail your fitness plans and diet. Here is how you get started.
Use your social events as cheat meals
Rather than waste your cheat meal time when eating by yourself, you can save it for those evenings you spend with friends. If you know you have a social dinner planned with friends or colleagues, you can save your cheat meal for those moments.
You can even fast a day or two or even some hours before going out. Doing this will help reduce your glycogen stores, thus reducing the number of calories that turn into fat when you binge-eat with friends.
Try Intermittent Fasting
This is an effective way to give yourself a bit of a chance with what you eat on your social days out. Fasting decreases the number of calories you take, thus giving you a chance to take more calories per meal without going above your count.
For intermittent fasting, you can either make use of the Leangains protocol or the Eat-Stop-Eat method. While the former allows you to eat within a specified time frame daily, the former will enable you to go a whole day without eating. Combining both methods will enable you to enjoy social events with friends without worrying too much about the repercussions.
Conclusion
The two main prerequisites for weight loss are caloric deficit and protein consumption. If you eat above your required caloric count, you will gain weight.
The key to healthy living and weight loss is getting lots of rest and eating healthy while keeping your alcohol and sugar consumption checked. If you plan ahead, you can put yourself in the best position to navigate the temptations that your social life might bring. Remember, you can enjoy the kind of social life you want, while still eating in moderation and actualizing your fitness goals. Did this article help you? follow us on Instagram to get notified on all our blog article releases!
