The Monday blues is probably something that we can all appreciate, a bit of a downer of a day after having the weekend to ourselves. But let’s be real, Mondays aren’t really any different to any other day of the week, particularly if you change your mindset about them and use them as an opportunity to start afresh each week, setting new goals and challenges for yourself.
For the gym and exercise, Mondays represent an excellent opportunity to get shit done. Attack the week from the outset and you’re setting yourself up for success right through till Friday.
Of course, some Mondays you’ll be on it and can’t wait to start training, but other days it’ll be a struggle. That’s life.
When motivation is lacking, you’ve got to rely on determination at first to get in the gym… and the sense of accomplishment you get from doing something hard and powering through the struggle is what then motivates you to keep going.
Getting out of bed on a cold winter morning to shift heavy weights around the gym isn’t easy. Don’t expect it to be. But finding it hard and doing it anyway makes you feel accomplished and that feeling will drive you to get up and do it again.
It’s time to have the difficult conversations with yourself. Do you really need a treat-related bribe to get in the gym? Reframe it all, look at hard work and the endorphin hit you get as the reward and you’ll see the results you want a lot quicker.
Being able to train is a privilege and viewing it as such will definitely help you stay motivated, even on dark, dreary winter days. So stop thinking “I have to train today” and start thinking “I get to train and try to be better than I was yesterday”.
Motivation is something you need to practise and you can’t expect it to always be there. If you need any help with staying accountable all the way through to spring, give me a shout and we can sort out one on one personal training sessions.
Monday motivation success starts right here!