Five healthy weekend habits to balance out weekday sins

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Whether it’s a weekend lie-in or an extra walk, small changes on Saturday and Sunday can help undo the stress of the work week. Photo / 123rf
A busy working week can wreck all our good intentions. Gym classes are cancelled. Pastries are grabbed. Trainers stay under the desk. The commitment to a brisk lunchtime walk is forgotten about.

However, it’s not all doom and gloom, as scientists have been busy confirming that using our
time wisely on the weekend – when we typically have more time on our hands – may be sufficient to undo our weekday sins. Experts have shared how to utilise your Saturday and Sunday for better health (and, thankfully, it doesn’t require very much effort).

Sleep is often the first thing to go out of the window during a busy week. However, you may not need to worry too much, provided that you catch up on the weekend.
Researchers, who looked at sleep data provided by around 90,000 people in the UK, found that those who had at least an extra hour and a quarter of sleep over Friday and Saturday night, compared to their sleep duration in the week, were a fifth less likely to develop heart disease than those who didn’t catch up on their sleep.
A lack of sleep has been connected with increased appetite, obesity, high blood pressure and inflammation, which may explain why those who fail to catch up on it are at higher risk of heart problems, says Kevin Morgan, an emeritus professor of psychology at Loughborough University’s Clinical Sleep Research Unit.
Generally, we need seven to nine hours of sleep each night to feel refreshed and function effectively throughout the day (though there’s no “one size fits all”), he says.
“It follows, then, that if we know we are ‘trimming’ our sleep, weekend compensation is a very good idea,” Morgan says. If you feel sufficiently well rested during the week, a weekend lie-in “may be physiologically unnecessary but hedonically very satisfying”, he notes. However, don’t stay in bed so long that you struggle to sleep at a reasonable time that night, Prof Morgan adds.
“It is also important to note that, whatever the merits of getting extra sleep during the weekend, it should not be the preferred strategy,” says Malcolm von Schantz, a professor of chronobiology at Northumbria University. “The ideal, for people whose circumstances allow it, is to have a regular sleep schedule throughout the week.”
Getting at least two and a half hours of moderate intensity exercise per week (such as brisk walking, a game of tennis, cycling or pushing a lawn mower) or 75 minutes of vigorous activity (like running, swimming or football) is the minimum we need to be doing to stay in good health.
But you may not need to fret if you’ve had an inactive week. One paper tracked the health of those who worked out throughout the week and compared their findings against those who squeezed their exercise into one or two days (known as weekend warriors).
Results showed that the latter group garnered the same health benefits – including a lower risk of developing around 200 diseases – as those who more evenly distributed their activity.
“It is the volume of exercise that is important, not the frequency of it,” explains Sam Quinn, a personal training lead at Nuffield Health. “Regardless of whether you split up the 150 minutes across the week, or condense into one or two days, the benefits are still going to be positive.” The approach can take pressure off of trying to cram a workout in during the week and leave more time for a work/life balance, he notes.
While any activity will help, walking briskly while completing some errands, taking the dog for an extra long walk or hopping off the bus or train one stop early, and walking the rest of your journey, are good weekend options, says Amanda Daley, professor of behavioural medicine at Loughborough University.
The main downside of the weekend warrior approach is that it can be tricky to fit this much exercise into the weekend and it can be incredibly demotivating if something comes up that means you can’t exercise, he notes. “I would also recommend that if exercise is limited to the weekend only, then nutrition, sleep, rest and recovery needs to be a week-long commitment to drive results,” Quinn adds.
“Plus loading your body on two days of the week could potentially lead to injuries, particularly if you’ve not been very active in the past,” Daley adds.
Prioritising speed and ease for our breakfast and lunch during the week can often lead to unhealthy food choices such as sugary cereal and calorific pastries, says Anna Daniels, a registered dietitian and nutritionist. “When it comes to the weekend, take time to sit down for a more nutritious brunch,” she recommends.
Cook up a vegetable and salmon omelette, baked eggs with spinach and mushrooms or jumbo oats with berries, yogurts and seeds, which are all full of protein and low in fat and sugar, she says. You could also try avocado and poached eggs on wholegrain bread or beans with grilled tomato and poached eggs, Daniels suggests.
However, avoid going for options high in sugar and calories. “For example, maple syrup pancakes may not be the most ideal choice,” Daniels says. “This sort of meal can lead to spikes in hunger, which can drive less healthy choices later on.
“Also, brunch typically makes eating a social event and having brunch with friends or family can have a very good impact on our health,” she adds. Studies have shown that eating with loved ones can help control portion sizes and boost mental health.
Opting for brunch – typically eaten between 11am and 1pm – instead of an earlier breakfast will also increase the length of your overnight fast (the time between your final meal of one day and first of the next), which has been linked to weight loss, improved gut health and better sleep.
“People struggle for time during the week,” notes Daniels. “Working late or children’s activities all have an impact on the timing of evening meals. This means people are inclined to choose super fast options which can be more likely to be less nutrient dense.”
So when the weekend arrives, make the time to cook a Sunday roast. “It can be very healthy if prepared and portioned well,” she says. “They contain lean protein, such as chicken or turkey, and a variety of vegetables which are rich in nutrients.”
To make your roast healthier, you could swap butter or lard for olive oil (as it’s better for heart health), use herbs or fruit to add flavour rather than going heavy on the salt and make lots of different vegetable options – carrots, leeks and spinach – to add fibre and nutrients, she says.
Also, keep an eye on your portion size, Daniels says. A healthy serving size is a 90g slice of meat (around the size of a deck of cards), 175g of potatoes (around three egg-sized potatoes) and 80g for each vegetable (around three heaped tablespoons) – though it’s fine to heap your plate with extra.
Try to make your midweek meals healthier by batch cooking on the weekend, such as homemade pasta sauces and curries which are easy to defrost.
Prolonged time indoors during the week has the potential to wreak havoc with our health. For starters, it can impair our mood, attention, memory and problem-solving, says Peter Coventry, a professor of environment and health at the University of York.
This is thought to be down to factors like noise, temperature and a lack of privacy in offices, says Paul Hough, a sports and exercise scientist at the University of Westminster. However, a lack of exposure to natural light is the main problem, as it can lead to a deficiency in vitamin D, which is essential for bones, immune function and overall wellbeing, he says.
But getting outside on the weekend can protect against some of this damage. It’s been shown to improve mental health, concentration and energy levels, Coventry says.
Studies have shown that being in nature reduces levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) and triggers processes in our brain that improve mood, concentration and problem-solving, explains Hough.
Research shows that gardening (especially growing food or community gardening) and exercising outdoors are particularly good for us, so it may be worth giving those a go, Coventry says. Being outside will also boost vitamin D levels, he notes.
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