Plan your food schedule on a Sunday for the entire week.

There has been a rise in the number of weekend warriors in the last 5 years. This basically, is the result of the rising awareness of health trends amongst the general population. However, the lack of time, knowledge and appropriate counselling permits people to exercise only on the weekends; such gym-goers are labelled ‘Weekend Warriors’. With long periods of inactivity, interspersed with sometimes-excessive bursts of activity, the exercise habits of the weekend warrior don’t fit the recommended model of regular daily exercise.

The fact that people are conscious of their health and want to exercise is no doubt a good mindset; however, it is needless to say that exercising after prolonged periods of time impacts the body adversely. Leading a sedentary lifestyle 5 or 6 days of the week and then suddenly breaking sweat at the gym over the weekend can massively increase the risk of injury; this also negatively impacts the BMI (Body Mass Index). Dr Pramod Bhor, Orthopedist & Joint Replacement Surgeon, Hiranandani Hospital Vashi, A Fortis Network Hospital shares tips to stay healthy through the week for weekend warriors.

Staying healthy through the week:

• Ensure that you regularly do moderate exercises at least 5 times a week, for 45 minutes.
• Do not pursue any specific sport only because your friend is doing it, you should assess if you have the time to train and a fit body to do it. E.g. people with knee problems must avoid tennis and badminton.
• You must train properly under the guidance of a qualified professional before taking up a rigorous sport.
• While working out in a gym, make sure to follow the instructions of your trainer. Doing it by yourself or following what you saw on social media might only cause injury.
• Do not eat junk food during the week. During working hours, one tends to not take care of when and what is eaten. There has to be a regular time range during which you should schedule your eating practices, especially dinner. Drinking lots of coffee, tea, and aerated drinks also increase the risk of obesity.

Taking care of eating habits and making time for exercise during the week:

• Eating patterns can be easily managed by noting down whatever you eat and its time of consumption.You can then modulate your diet, or seek help from a dietician who can moderate the eating pattern.
• Plan your food schedule on a Sunday for the entire week; this will make sure not to skip out on any meals or rush yourself to prepare meals for the next day.
• Follow recommended fitness and nutrition apps that are now available to manage these priorities to ensure a healthier lifestyle.
• You can work out near your workplace as and when you take a short break or join a gym close by to avoid wastage of time. It is not necessary that you have to exercise in the morning; you can do it at any time.
• We should try and practice a healthier lifestyle by exercising regularly over the whole week instead of only on weekends just to run marathons or to make us feel healthy.