How do you relax on a Friday evening?

dancing_cat

How can I relax on a Friday evening without eating or drinking?

After a hard week at work I tend to look forward to getting home on a Friday and collapsing on the sofa with a cake or two or bar of chocolate to relax and reward myself for getting through the week and help myself "wind down".

So I recognise that this isn't a very healthy habit because I'm not eating a small bar of chocolate or just a few hundred calories but closer to 800+ (i.e. a140-200g like a Dairy Milk) I guess a glass of wine would be less calories but I find alcohol - even small amounts messes up my sleep and makes me feel tired the next day.

My colleagues don't go out for drinks on a Friday night and my other London-based friends are busy or just too tired like me on Fridays to want to do anything.

What do other people do when they get home on a Friday? Am I strange in even wanting to "celebrate" the end of the week?

kristenn1989

you don't have to avoid eating. you just need to avoid eating things that are bad for you. You can snack ( I love air popped popcorn (only 61 calories per 2 cups)).

I love popping in a good film or reading a book to unwind.

suejonestx

Hi. If you want to celebrate with a little alcohol, try a light beer like Michelob Ultra (ice cold, only 95 cals!). It helps me to relax on Friday night (or maybe other nights of the week!). You can fulfill a sweet craving with something like a Special K honey nut bar or a small blue bell ice cream cup (around 130 cals). The 100 cal bags of microwave popcorn are also a treat. I think the trick is to instead of completely depriving yourself, let yourself have a little something.
Good luck.

SavCal71

nice dinner (but a healthy one - tonight is pork loin, baked sweet potatoes and roasted cauliflower)
wine
movie or game night with the fam
sex ... lol
and sleeping in on Saturdays

SandraNancy

Food is a big comfort/reward thing for me, too, so I understand wanting to cap the week off that way.

Some people have mentioned popcorn, which is a great idea.

Food aside, though, what about treating yourself to a massage? My boyfriend and I made it a weekly tradition on Fridays to go for a Thai massage; great for your body, very relaxing, and a non-food way to relax at the end of the week.

If you can't manage a massage every week, what about one of those at home facials? You could have the one glass of wine or the popcorn while your mask sits.

Just wanted to suggest things other than food to celebrate the weekend!

dancing_cat

Thanks for all of the good suggestions. Please keep them coming!

I'm a bit scared of snacks because I'm not hungry. So I don't think if I'd stop after a small bag or a cup or two or whether I'd just keep eating until I'd consumed everything. I'd turn 2 cups of popcorn into 8 cups and I find it quite difficult to go to the shops and only by 1 small item as well especially when the chocolate and other treats always tend to be on offer so it makes more "sense" to buy a multipack/giant bar than a small item.

A good book and a home-facial both sound very do-able though - a Thai massage might be a bit out of budget to do weekly. I'm scared to ring up and book massages too, I'm scared of explaining myself on the phone! Weird I know. Maybe if I could find somewhere I could book online ... I might investigate!