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How NOT to spend your weekend if you want to have a good week: Habits to avoid

06/25/2018 // Michelle Simmons // Views

Tags: break, day off, goodhealth, habits, Health and Wellness, how to, life, lifestyle, rest days, Time, time off, tips, weekend, work-life balance

Who doesn't look forward to the weekend? For some people, it can motivate them to get through the week – be it from school or at work. The weekend is short, and – understandably – you want to make the most out of it. However, there are some habits to avoid during the weekend.

1. Going all out at the gym – According to Scott Weiss, a physical therapist and trainer in New York, working out intensely on the weekends to make up for the lost time on the weekdays can result in serious muscle soreness and potential injuries. However, if the weekend is the only available schedule for exercising, Weiss suggests that instead of going all out, it would be better if a person takes time to warm up thoroughly, stretch, and exercise moderately. (Related: Choose to be healthy and keep pounds off over the weekend.)
2. Rarely getting up from the couch – Being a couch potato over the weekend is one of the things you should avoid doing. This results in a bad platform for health in the following week. In addition, sitting on the couch all day results in stress on the lower back, tightens the hip flexors, changes posture, and causes stagnation of blood, veins, lymph flow, and digestion.
3. Running errands the entire weekend – According to Moe Gelbart, a psychologist from Torrance Memorial Medical Center in California, spending the entire weekend running errands can result in a work-life imbalance. In turn, this can make you feel burned out. Learn to prioritize what is needed to be done first. "Categorize things according to 'essential,' 'not essential,' and 'in the middle,' to decide what can wait and what's an immediate need," said Gelbart.



4. Stressing out on Sunday thinking about Monday – Dreading for Monday during the weekend can remove the fun out of your day off. According to Gelbart, being stressed out every Sunday can result in irritability and can negatively affect your health and your relationship with the people around you.
5. Working during the weekend – Even a little bit of work like checking on emails during the weekend can easily turn into a lot of work. Set a limit of 30 minutes maximum if you really have to check your emails. Working during the weekend can affect your relationships with your friends and family, making them feel unappreciated and ignored.

What to do during the weekend?

Now that you know what not to do during the weekend, here are some tips on how to make the most out of it.

1. Plan ahead – Make plans during the week on what you aim to do at the weekend. If you do not have plans, you will more likely end up doing nothing instead. However, planning ahead does not mean there is no room for spontaneous activities.
2. Spend time with your friends – Everyone is busy with their own lives; however, it is still important to catch up with your friends. Make an effort to arrange a meet-up with them.
3. Spend time outdoors – Get a little bit of exercise and fresh air to make you feel energized by simply taking a walk, run, or hike.
4. Treat yourself – It is important to remember that you should also treat yourself. Being constantly surrounded by people and activities can be fun but also tiring. Allow yourself to indulge in a book, listen to some music, or just chill out.
5. Find a new hobby – Your job may be forcing you to do the same old things during the week. During the weekend, you can break these routines. One way is to find a new hobby that you could enjoy doing by yourself.

Read more news stories and studies on lifestyle by going to MindBodyScience.news.

Sources include:

Prevention.com

RealBuzz.com

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