Staying on track with your fitness goals can seem difficult while trying to maintain a social life involving cocktails, restaurants and weekend takeaways.
But it is possible to maintain a social life without ruining your diet. You definitely need to learn the importance of moderation, but by introducing these 17 tips, you’ll be rewarding yourself with not only your fitness progress but a healthy social life too.
#1 Moderate, but don't stop your social life ☝🏼
I know it’s easy to have an all-or-nothing mindset, but maintaining a healthy social life is great for morale, motivation and a positive mindset. A healthy mind is just as important as healthy eating. So be moderate - you don’t have to go clubbing every week even if your friends do.
Learning how to carry on a social life while on your fitness journey will help you maintain your hard-earned results in the long run.
#2 Eat a light meal before snack-y events 🥗
If it’s not a sit-down dinner you’re invited to but instead just lots of people hovering around a grill or a snack table, chances are no one’s actually watching what you eat. Nor are they expecting you to eat anything - the snacks are just there out of formality.
So, have a light meal beforehand so you don’t feel the need to graze the snack table in order to satisfy your appetite, but still have space if there’s any snacks you feel rude saying no to.
#3 Get your protein in earlier, and save the carbs 🥙
It's very common, that the meals we eat out are both higher in carbs, fats and calories & generally lacking on protein. So, in order to still hit your protein target for the day & to save space for potential extra calories, make sure to pack in plenty of protein and vegetables in your meals before going out.
Tip: Protein keeps you full for longer so it will help regulate appetite if your goal is to lose weight.
#4 Track your dinner in the morning 📱
If you’re tracking calories and have a specific calorie-target you’re aiming to stay below, it can really help tracking the calories for your expected dinner, already in the morning. This way you can see exactly how many calories that leaves you for the rest of the day, as well as any slight changes you should make to your evening meal to make it fit your daily “calorie budget”
#5 Make healthy swaps when dining out 🍽
There are so many small healthy tweaks to be made to meals at a restaurant, that can mean a lot for the overall meal. Read my guide with "12 tips for eating healthy at restaurants".
#6 Remember, it's okay to say no 🤚🏼
I know it can feel rude to say no to food being served to you, but sometimes the host can go a bit overboard with both appetiser, dinner, dessert, drinks AND snacks. Remember it’s okay to say no to having dessert; it’s okay to just stick to 1-2 drinks; and it’s okay to not have any after-dinner snacks.
To perhaps make it sound less rude, you can let the others know you’re too full; you’re not the biggest fan of chocolate fudge (or whatever the dessert is); or simply let everyone know you’re on a fitness journey at the moment.
Trust me, people will admire your willpower and the fact that you’re chasing your fitness goals :-)
#7 Swap out the salty snacks 🍿
We all know this.. Anything salty is really hard to stop snacking on once you start. There’s a reason we can’t resist the crisps, peanuts or popcorn… Therefore, the biggest tip of all is to not even start snacking on them because you know it will be hard to stop. Do the "10-minutes-later version of you" a favour.
#8 Plan ahead to avoid the hangover 🥴
Before going out, it can help to set a limit to how many drinks you’re going to have. None of us like to pay the price for a great night out. A hangover - or just feeling bloated - isn’t going to help you keep on track with workouts or to stick to healthy choices the next day. Tip: Try alternating between alcoholic drinks and soda water. If you’re drinking spirits, ask for singles instead of doubles or swap tonic water for soda water. Tiny changes like this can make a big difference!
#9 Embrace the big occasions 🥳
If you're known for going out every weekend and having dinner at restaurants several times a week, it can be wise to pick and choose which occasions are worth going to, and which you can cut back on.
Remember, a fitness journey is all about the healthy balance
#10 Surround yourself with likeminded people ❤️
It's okay to outgrow the friends that want to go clubbing and get drunk every weekend. One of the easiest ways to manage social occasions is to surround yourself with people who support your goals (even if they’re not fussed about fitness) or who are in the same boat as you. They are more likely to encourage you to stick to healthy habits while out and will want to celebrate your progress with you.
Better yet, get them involved with your fitness journey.
#11 Ask to help with the cooking 🥘
This one isn’t always going to be possible, but if you’re eating with friends or ordering a takeaway, ask if you can help with preparing the food. This way you know what’s in the food you’re eating, and you might even be teaching your friends healthy swaps they weren’t even aware of - it’s a win-win!
#12 Don't treat it like a "cheat day" 🍕
Even though you might be taking a break from high-protein or low-fat meals, it doesn’t mean you should treat this day as a complete write-off and go overboard.
Remember to still be moderate in your treats and not undo your hard work so you have to play catch-up the next day.
#13 Make your social occasions more active 👫🏼
There’s many ways of being sociable without having to go out for dinner or drinks. Perhaps suggest catching up over a long walk or a run. You can also ask your friends to come to the gym with you or try out bouldering.
Doing something activity-based will give you lots of fun memories and something to laugh about.
#14 Catch up on sleep 🥱
If you want to keep your body at its healthiest and feel fully recharged for a new day, don’t skip sleep after a late night. Enjoy that extra hour in bed instead of forcing yourself up early for the gym - your workout will be just that bit better.
Fun fact: sleeping burns calories too.
#15 Get back on the grind 💪🏼
Just because you’ve had one night off doesn’t mean the rest of your week has to be unproductive. Don’t wait until it reaches Monday again. Make healthy choices beginning at the breakfast table: the longer you put off getting back into routine, the less motivated you’ll feel.
Tip: Starting the day with a nutrient-rich breakfast is such an easy way to put some good stuff back into your body and quickly.
#16 Talk it through with a personal trainer 🏋🏽♀️
A personal trainer is so much more than their workout plans. They too know what it’s like to juggle a social life with a fitness routine, so chances are they have years’ worth of tips on how they uphold their progress. They’ll also help personalise your workouts to accommodate your social life.
#17 Remember, nobody's perfect 😌
Trust me when I say we all have the kind of nights which go on a bit longer or end up a bit heavier than we intended… but that’s absolutely fine. Yes, you have goals that you want to hold yourself accountable to, but when you’re working hard most of the time it doesn’t hurt your progress to reward yourself and switch off
Start a realistic fitness journey
Embracing healthy habits before, during and after your social occasions can massively help you enjoy yourself while keeping up with your great fitness progress. It is something I work closely on with my Online Clients to make sure they can still live a social life while seeing results in the gym. If you’re ready to create a healthy balance between life and workouts, sign up for Online Coaching with me. Click below to see more👇🏼
