This Is Why Monday Is the New Friday
Swap after-work drinks for after-work weights. Ending Friday with fitness is not only good for winding down from business – it leads to a balanced weekend and a brighter Monday.
Monday morning – we all know the feeling. It’s past 9 a.m. and you’re peeling yourself away from social media to try and plough through those countless emails sat in your inbox. At the same time, you’re thinking about how today is a ‘new day’; time to get the diet back on track after slipping again over the weekend. But not this week.
And so it begins.
The weekly cycle of ‘Motivation Monday’ to pick up where you dropped off before the weekend took hold. Thinking back it’s Friday, when you throw caution to the wind because your mood has naturally lifted – thoughts of food, cocktails, wine maybe – it’s the weekend after all.
But what if you could swap the Monday blues for Friday’s optimism?
Throughout the week I maintain a pretty healthy lifestyle. I CrossFit, I run – I even started attending a Pilates class. My diet is clean and consistent – lots of protein, even more vegetables. In the past I would find that, no matter how strict I was, an invite to after-work drinks on a Friday would send the weekend into a downward spiral. Drinks would soon be followed by a full-on ‘cheat weekend’.
But I’ve found a way of turning this around. How? By swapping my stilettos for lifters.
On Fridays, I now attend an Olympic Weightlifting class at 5:30 p.m. for two hours. The thought of heavy training at the end of a working week was initially not a pleasant one. I gave it a try however. Now I’m gutted if I have a social occasion that I have to attend instead of lifting! Why? Because it keeps me on track all weekend.
The Friday lifting class is not only a great space to focus on movement; it’s a social environment, too. Working out in a relaxed and friendly environment, by 7:30 p.m. my work stresses have drifted away and I’m 100% focused on my body. I leave feeling ready for the weekend (and admittedly somewhat hungry!).
The effect of this two-hour window on a Friday is more beneficial than any other workout I have completed that week.It encourages a better attitude towards my weekend lifestyle. I’m also more likely to go for a gentle run on Sunday morning if I have lifted on Friday.
Ein Beitrag geteilt von Melissa Wilcox (@melissa_sarah_wilcox) am
By Monday, I’m not beating myself up for ditching my diet over the weekend.
Here are my top tips for a Monday boost:
- Don’t treat fitness like a 9-to-5 chore.Living healthy takes 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- Lead from the front. In business it’s easy to think that attending work socials will get you noticed. These often involve alcohol and/or food. Suggest a spin or yoga class instead.
- Remember: Weekends are 28% of your year.
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