6 Self-care tips for the weekend to help you recharge and refresh

It’s not every day you think of giving yourself a treat, giving your body a pat, and allowing it to breathe. Most days of the week, you are expected to bring out the hustling spirit in you, hold down your feet and get many tasks done.

But weekends are made differently.

Weekends are for wines, picnics, hanging out with friends, visiting family, smelling roses, dancing, and exploring places. 

They are for breaks, and you may be getting it wrong if you don’t make them about yourself. You deserve to have that much time to yourself. 

Self-care is never overrated as it is the only way to give your body the boost it needs to stay active. It ensures that you stay healthy and strong to tackle the next task that will be coming your way.

Below are 6 self-care strategies to apply this weekend to rejuvenate your body and refresh your mind in readiness for next week.

 1. Start with a glass of water

It is hard to think about water in the middle of a meeting, while answering calls from different clients, while hitting on your computer keyboards to beat a job deadline or while receiving a lecture in school. 

For that, it is even more important to start your weekend hydrating. 

You don’t know how much the human body needs water until you start noticing your skin getting dull and less radiant, getting cranky and moody, having low energy, and even passing hard stools. 

In severe cases of dehydration, you may experience dry mouth and lip, headache, confusion, muscle cramp, dizziness, rapid heartbeat, low blood pressure, and strong smelling, dark yellow pee.

Water helps your body eliminate waste through perspiration and urination, cushions and lubricates joints, protects the spinal cord and other tissues, and helps maintain body temperature, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says. 

Therefore, incorporate water into your weekends as much as possible - in the morning, during mealtimes, after a workout, before bedtime, and while watching the TV. Also, eat foods with high water content, e.g., watermelon.

 2. Visit your favorite spots in town

Nothing beats going out to see beautiful places, but it even feels better when they are your favorite spots. 

You can go alone or carry your friends along. However, it might be best not to go with a crowd if you want to savor the moment. 

Whether you are visiting the beachside, the mountain tops, a waterfall, an artifact museum, or even your favorite restaurant, the idea is to have fun while relaxing your body and mind. 

If you’ve had a rough week, exploring places of nature may be your best bet at refreshing your mind and recharging your body. 

Studies have shown that exposure to nature can induce stress recovery and physiological relaxation. It has also been associated with improved brain activity, cognitive function, blood pressure, and mental health. 

 3. Cook and eat healthy meals

Eating unhealthy, high-calorie junk meals is easy, especially when you have excuses like “I have been very busy.” But, hey, it is the weekend. What other excuse do you have? 

Preparing healthy meals doesn’t have to be time-consuming; it depends on what you want to make. How about whole grain bread with egg and milk for breakfast, making a 5-minute smoothie, preparing oats, or chicken pepper soup?

If you are freer, you can prepare some bowls of vegetable soup and stew, throw them into your fridge, and viola! Now, you have healthy meal options for the following week because all you will need to do is boil rice or prepare wheat flour and eat it with the already-prepared soup or stew. 

Eating healthy meals is a great self-care strategy that shouldn’t be restricted to weekends alone because your body needs nutrients to thrive. 

Healthy meals containing less refined sugar, salt, and trans fat and more vegetables, fruits, and whole foods help protect the body from chronic illnesses like diabetes, cancer, and heart disease, according to the World Health Organization.

Eating healthy also strengthens your bones, improves digestive system function, supports muscle growth, enhances skin appearance, helps maintain a healthy weight, and boosts immunity. 

So, if you are wondering which self-care strategy to adopt this weekend, never skip eating healthily. 

 4. Contact a friend you haven’t spoken to in a while

If you are working-class, chances are that you are often busy during the week and during the weekends, you’d be tempted to stay on social media all day long. But, that might not be helpful, especially if you are the type easily affected by news and events in the media.

How about you form the habit of checking up on old friends either? Adulthood is a lot of things - one of which is the tendency to drift away from friends and family. 

Weekends might be the perfect time to call them. You can reach out to anyone; however, talking with someone who played a significant role in your life is often magical. It could be a secondary school friend with whom you share many memories.

This way, you can reminisce, laugh and joke over the phone. However, if you don’t feel the connection as before, do not feel bad. After all, calling and checking up on old friends is a good thing.

 5. Hit the gym

Which other better way of relieving your body of the weekday’s stress than hitting the gym on a Saturday? Understandably, not everyone may afford to pay for a gym subscription. In that case, you should think of improvising.

How about going for an early morning run? You can go for a swim or organize a workout class at home alone or with friends. Whichever option you choose, the idea is to work your muscles, burn calories and relieve stress.

The importance of exercise cannot be overemphasized. Studies have emphasized its role in reducing the risk of metabolic health conditions and cardiovascular diseases.

Physical activity helps reduce weight, lower blood pressure, reduce blood cholesterol levels, reduce inflammation and improve muscular metabolism. 

So, don’t skip the exercise part when thinking of self-care treats for your weekend. Your body will reward you with increased strength, fitness, and general wellness. 

 6. Visit the spa

Do you have spa treatments you are yet to tick off your bucket list? How about making it a self-care plan for this weekend?

Spa treatments go beyond relaxing you; they also refresh you and come with other added wellness benefits. From pain relief and reduced stress to anti-aging and improved skin, visiting the spa is that magic self-care treatment you need in order to make your weekends worth it. 

You can get treatments at the spa, including oxygen facials, anti-aging, facials, body mud masks, infrared sauna, massage therapy, manicures and pedicures, scalp treatments, body tanning, exfoliation, and water therapy.

Go all out for your body and skin. There's no better time to do that than during the weekend!