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3 Reasons Why Cheat Days Are Important

For Mental and Physical Health

By Giulia DLPublished 6 years ago 4 min read
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So you've started your 2018 off right, with that new "clean eating" nutrition plan and a full gym membership. Maybe you've paid upfront for the year like I have, so you'll never have an excuse not to go.

However, if like me you struggle a little with maintaining your new healthy lifestyle all day every day, I am here to remind you that it is important to have cheat days, or YOLO meals, allowed every once in a while to make this lifestyle balanced and sustainable.

If you have a medical condition for which a diet is prescribed, please talk to your nutritionist or doctor before deviating from the plan. Otherwise, keep reading for 3 awesome reasons to have a Yolo Meal.

1. Mental Health

I am going to start here, because it is hands down the most important one for my lifestyle at the moment.

I have YOLO-day on a Tuesday most weeks, because I work weekends and Sundays never feel like days off. So for me, Tuesdays are the day where I don't count my macros, I don't check calories, and I don't go to the gym. This means that most weeks, I can look forward to having those foods I don't have during my normal days, and don't feel like I am depriving myself during the rest of the week.

For me, calorie-counting/macro-calculating always elicits some anxiety and frustration, because I get very focused on what I cannot have as opposed to what I can add to my food consumption. By allowing myself a YOLO day once a week, I still have that chocolate bar I want, but it's now once a week as opposed to every day.

I actually have £5 set aside every week to spend on "junk food," whether that's chips, chocolate, or a burger.

Since I've added a cheat day to my week, instead of "being good" all the time, I am less hangry and I throw fewer food-related tantrums. Hurrah all around!

2. Rest and Recovery

If you've been hitting the gym, whether that's with weightlifting, steady state cardio, or Zumba, you'll want to give your body time to adapt and recover. Enthusiasm is great, and by all means do all the DanceFitness classes you want, but you won't be able to keep up for an extended period if you don't let your muscles recover.

Rest days allow for:

  • Tissue Repair
  • Repletion of Energy Stores
  • Happier Athletes (see point 1)

This is possibly especially true for those of us on a new weightlifting journey. My current workout means that I go almost every day, and by Tuesday my upper body is so sore, and my legs are still shaky from Sunday Bunday, and if I even think about going to the gym gives very strong "no" signals.

I know sometimes it's hard when you've started a new gym program and the number on the scales has gone up a few lbs. But your body is adjusting, and you should give it time to recover and rest and build that muscle back up before hitting the gym again.

3. Social Lives

I will be the first person to admit that I don't have a life. I basically go to work and come home to watch Netflix. However, the rest of you might have friends and family around. Or boyfriends or wives. Personally, I have a fiancé, and I impose my healthy macro-balanced life on him 6/7 days of the week. But I am writing this on Valentine's Day 2018, and it's nice to allow myself to go out for dinner with him, and share that box of chocolates. Yes, it's a Wednesday, sue me, I swapped cheat days.

This doesn't just apply to romantic evenings. It might be your sister's birthday at some point. Or you have drinks with work colleagues to celebrate that big project that's finally finished. Or your nan has made your very favourite meatloaf and it would be rude to turn her down.

Guilt has no place here.

Family and friends are just as important to our balanced lifestyle as our nutrition and gym routine. Don't roll your eyes at me—think about how hard it is to do this with nobody but yourself as a cheerleader. Think about the satisfaction you get from telling your friend that you can now deadlift your body weight, even though they don't know what that means. Seriously, cherish your friends.

So if you want to go out and have pizza and wine, do that. If sushi and sake is more your thing, do that too. If it's a night in with a tub of ice-cream, go ahead. Or try Halo Top.

Have a cheat day. Your mind and body will thank you for it.

diet
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About the Creator

Giulia DL

Pastry chef but not only, I write a bunch of unrelated things from recipes to product reviews to day-in-the-life whenever the mood strikes.

instagram @cosedolcissime

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