How to Get Motivated on a Monday (or any day of the week)
Raise your hand if you woke up with a case of the Mondays today! You’re not alone (I promise, I am raising mine right there with you!).
In some ways, Monday’s are great because they’re a sign of a fresh start, but let’s be honest. Normally, I’m just struggling to get out of bed and hit snooze one too many times. Can you relate? Don’t lie. I know that if you clicked on this blog post you probably hit snooze at least twice (or three or four or five) times this morning. I see you because I am guilty of that, too!
Regardless of your sentiment toward Monday’s or why you may or may not dread them, I have found that they are a “make it or break it” day in terms of setting myself up for a successful week (in more ways than one!). For example, if I workout on a Monday, more often than not I wind up getting in at least five-six workouts that week. On the flip-side, if I don’t workout on a Monday, I might average two-three workouts that week. That’s just one example, but you catch my drift. Mondays can be a game. Changer.
With that in mind, I thought I would share a few tips and tricks that I apply in my own routine to make Mondays more bearable and to set myself up for a productive and successful week!
Tip number one! You probably already guessed it. Workout. I know, this isn’t some genius idea, but hear me out because if I can change your mind on this, it will change your week! Monday is likely the day where you feel least motivated to workout. You’re tired from your weekend and feel like you need another day. I get it! But motivation will probably only decrease as you go throughout your week. You’re working hard every day at work, so by Friday you’re just exhausted from the rest of the week! I want you to think about your future Friday-self on Monday. Don’t set your Friday-self up for failure because the Monday you is tired.
You know you will be drained by the end of your week. You know you will only start to make more excuses everyday if you don’t workout today. Go into robot mode and JUST GO to the gym anyway! I promise it will increase your motivation to workout the rest of the week. I always tell my clients that motivation comes when you start to see and feel results. Not the other way around. You’ll start to have more energy because of that workout. You might feel less bloated, which might give you some motivation to go again on Tuesday, and Wednesday, and Thursday... You’ll sleep better because you actually worked your body that day vs. just sitting at a desk, which brings me to my next point…
Tip number two! Go to bed. They say you should never underestimate the power of a good night’s sleep. And they’re right (whoever they are). Your body needs good rest in order to feel energized. If you’re not getting enough sleep, don’t expect to feel motivated to workout, go to work, run errands, clean or do anything that you need to get done this week. I notice a HUGE difference in my performance during a workout if I’m not getting enough sleep. So set a goal to go to bed by a certain time every night this week, and watch how that changes things for you. An excuse a lot of people will give is that they’re just a night owl and can’t go to bed early. To that person, I would say try drinking some sleepy tea (my favorite is Trader Joe’s Bedtime Tea- it’s chamomile and has mint and it’s heavenly). Put your phone away 30 minutes before bed and try reading an actual book. Spend a few minutes in prayer. Create a new routine around bedtime that pulls you out of your day, away from a screen and give yourself some time to calm down. If you give your brain permission to turn off, it will. The most important thing here is consistency and a bedtime routine. Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. After a few days or week of that, your body will adjust and you’ll feel so much more energized in your day.
Tip number 3! Get organized on Sunday. Don’t avoid looking at your schedule or to-do list on Sunday because you’re dreading your week. Face the Sunday Scaries head-on, and go ahead and map out things you need to do that week and when. Get your meal prepping done so that you’re not stressed cooking for the week, during the week. Do you have errands or things that have to happen this week? Find lunch breaks or times before/after work when you can get those things done, and put them on your calendar. Speaking of calendars, go ahead and schedule your workouts. Make that a meeting that you cannot miss. You wouldn’t cancel a meeting with your boss, so treat yourself with the same respect. You can always find excuses to not make time for them, but the reality is that you do have the time. You just have to prioritize it. All of the workouts in my eight week workout program HIIT X Heidi can be done in 40 minutes or less and can be modified to be even shorter if needed. You can get in a great workout in that amount of time. I promise! Your Monday (and the whole week!) will be so much better if you just take a few minutes to map it all out on Sunday.
Tip number 4! Have your clothes and coffee set the night before. There’s one thing I cannot start my morning without, and that is coffee. Get your coffee ready to go on Sunday evening (I actually always do this on weeknights) so that all you have to do is press a button in the morning. Again, we’re going back to the whole concept of doing things now that your future-self will thank you for. If you’re a coffee drinker, trust me. Your future self will thank you. I have a keurig, but I still get it ready the night before so I don’t have to fumble with anything. Laying your clothes out (including your workout clothes) is also super helpful. It’s just one less thing to do in the morning. If you want to take it a step further, have whatever you meal-prepped ready to go in a container for lunch. That way, all you have to do is grab it and go in the morning. All of these small things add a few minutes onto your routine. This will free up more time in your morning to do something for yourself instead. Which brings me to my last point…
Tip number 5! Start your day with quiet time. For me, quiet time means prayer and reading my bible with a cup of coffee. Ideally, I do this right when I wake up, and not just on Monday’s but every day. There are days where I have 30 minutes to do this in the mornings, and there are days where I only have 10. Quiet time might mean something different for you, but the most important part is just having some time to clear your head, focus, set your intentions for the day. It truly is my favorite part of my day most days, and when I don’t have it (because I didn’t stick to my bedtime), well let’s just say I am not the most pleasant human. We all spend most of our days serving someone else, whether it’s your job or being there for a friend or family member… take a few minutes to fill up your cup before you go trying to pour into someone else’s. Let your cup overflow vs. pouring out of a cup that’s only half-full.
I hope these tips will help you as much as they’ve helped me. While we’re on the topic of planning, have you checked out HIIT X Heidi? If you haven’t, now is a great time to jump on the bandwagon. It’s a comprehensive, eight week workout program for $50. And all of your workouts are planned for you, so it’s just one less thing to think about! I hope you’ll join us. I would LOVE to have you in our community.
Now, in the meantime, I need to practice what I preach and get to bed. I’m typing this up for you on a Sunday night, and my bedtime is creeping up on me fast!
HAPPY MONDAY babes! I hope you all crush this week. Let’s do this!