Everyone has weekends that are full of partying, drinking, and eating, making them basically caloric picnics. This article offers you a few easy steps to get back on track after a joyful weekend.

Grab a cup of coffee to pump some blood in your veins, you’ll be excited to move around once you reach the end of the article.

1.    Don’t Stress Yourself

Never feel guilty for all the fun you’ve had on the weekend, research already proves that beating yourself up about the past is not effective at all, in fact, it’ll do nothing but affect you negatively the moment you try to recover.

“Starting your day with the mantra ‘fresh start’ can be helpful.” says psychologist Susan Albers, author of the New York Times bestselling book EatQ. “Continuous research indicates that beating yourself up about past events will stop any sort of recovery that you aim to achieve,” she adds.

2.    Get Back to Your Old Routine As Soon As Possible

Most experts agree on the fact that routines play a crucial part in getting back on track after caloric picnics.

“No matter what happens, make sure to not sleep until noon on Monday,” says Dr. Joe Ojile, Chief Executive Director and Medical Director of the Clayton Sleep Institute. “Structure is crucial, if you use structure, your body will stay as healthy as ever,” he adds.

In other words, if your typical routine involves some sort of a morning workout, then make sure to wake up in time, gulp down a can of your favorite energy drink, and hit the gym immediately.

3.    The 3 Crucial M’s of Every Morning: Mindful Eating, Movement, and Minimizing

According to Susan Albers, exercise helps activate serotonin, the chemicals that are responsible for regulating your mood, and you’ll probably end up feeling good. And the happier you feel, the healthier your choices during the day will be.

When you sit down to eat your breakfast, read something while eating, slowly. In addition, you should avoid processed foods as much as you can throughout that first breakfast and the whole week.

4.    Monday’s Spinach Smoothie

Albers goes on to cite a small study from the critically-acclaimed journal Appetite, which proved that drinking the water of spinach for 3 months straight left subjects with more stamina than ever and reduced their need for sweet foods. That’s why she suggests that you start your Monday morning with a green spinach smoothie.

5.    Draw Your Curtains First Thing in the Morning

Bright light helps re-center the SCN, which is short for the suprachiasmatic nucleus, the part of your brain that’s responsible for adjusting your internal time clock. Dr. Ojile suggests taking a walk or jogging, or simply sitting on the porch to read something.

In case it’s cloudy outside, you can always make use of artificial light like a bright reading light for example. Being the subject of bright light early in the morning will help your body to recognize a good sleeping and waking pattern after a joyful weekend, full of staying up late and sleeping in.

6.    Make Sure to Stay Hydrated

“The best solution to counteract a weekend full of alcoholic drinks is staying hydrated”, says Albers. Continuous days of alcohol consumption will leave your body feeling depleted, so make sure to carry around a bottle of water during the day. Moreover, she recommends that you stay away from any salty foods. So instead of snacking on pretzels, opt for something like mandarin orange or nuts.

7.    Get a Decent Amount of Sleep on That Sunday Night

Every successful start of a week has a proper Sunday night rest behind it. You might wonder how you’d ensure a decent night’s sleep on a Sunday night, well it’s really simple, says Ojile. Make sure to stay away from alcoholic drinks after dinner, because it’ll definitely disturb your sleep, and avoid watching Netflix right before bed. Studies have actually proven that the blue light that is emitted from your electronic devices suppresses melatonin, which will halt any attempt you make to sleep.