Start your week off well
Learn to love Mondays and a healthy life can fall into place
IT’S the start of the official working week, Monday, the day when we get a fresh start.
The time of the week when our good health and fitness intentions can be used to our advantage if and how we know the right way to implement healthy lifestyle changes and maintain them.
A well-organised and planned Monday can ultimately mean that three to four days of our week are on track and when you translate that into calorie intake, meal planning and exercise sessions, three to four good days ultimately means weight loss over the course of a week.
Unfortunately for many of us, Monday mornings start in a rushed and frazzled state, in which we are happy to have simply made it to work as opposed to starting the week fresh, organised and on track with diet and weight loss goals.
If you adhere to the mantra “the way you start your day is the way you live your day’’ then there is much to be said for making a concerted effort to start each Monday on the right foot, especially when it comes to having your food and exercise plans ready to help you keep focused and make positive progress, especially if your goal is weight loss.
Learning to start Monday beautifully
There is more and more evidence to show that seeking out simple pleasures in our day-today lives is an important determinant of well-being.
This means being mindful and aware of the small aspects of each of our days that come together to determine how much we are enjoying our experience of living and how much we are simply getting through each day.
When it comes to starting a new week, this means that somehow we need to learn to love our Mondays and start them beautifully.
It means sitting and enjoying breakfast, it means taking time out to plan the week ahead and outline what you are keen to achieve, it means being grateful that you are here at all to enjoy a brand new week, rather than cursing the fact that yet another week is about to start.
For some of us this may come naturally with a new week signalling a new start but others may need to do some work to learn to appreciate Mondays rather than hate them.
Get up early
Successful people generally get up early and make the most of their time. They understand that all of us are generally playing a time game, time being one of our precious resources that we simply cannot get back. If you consider that getting out of bed an hour earlier during the week will give you an extra two whole days each year, imagine what could be achieved if you got up even earlier.
Whether an early morning start helps to get extra chores completed, allows time for your to exercise or simply represents an hour or two when you enjoy some peace and quiet, the feeling of starting your day gently without rushing is a sure-fire way to start your week in the right frame of mind.
Start off on the right foot
For many people starting the week right means starting with some exercise and there is no better way to kickstart a Monday than with a brisk walk or run to fire up the metabolism and get you in the right frame of mind for eating well and maintaining your exercise program.
One of the biggest issues when it comes to making a concerted effort to factor regular exercise into your lifestyle is the belief patterns that accompany the thought of regular training. Exercise does not need to mean numerous hours spent at the gym in an uncomfortable and sweaty state – it can simply mean walking to work or getting off the bus or train a stop earlier. Simply committing to small but regular exercise on a daily basis is often the difference between weight control or not.
Make your lists
Another Monday habit that is likely to serve you well over many years is to start each week with a clear to-do list.
Operating in the same way that goals help to direct and guide behaviour, writing a todo list helps to keep us on track with the bigger picture plans we have for ourselves and helps to keep our behaviours and choices on track.
Get into the habit of sitting for five minutes each Monday morning and making a note of the key things you want to have achieved by the end of the week. You will be surprised how much easier it is to keep focused when you know what you are supposed to be concentrating on.
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