It’s Monday, it’s Monday!
Mondays are usually notorious for bad things…like the start of a dreaded work week. (That’s never my case, but if it is yours, you might want to consider what’s going wrong.) Another way you can think of Monday is the start of a new, fresh week that is wide open for you to do your own bidding. It’s your chance to do something new and different for yourself — something small but noticeable — that adds up over time and changes your life in a big way.
Since making lasting changes usually starts with really small steps, Monday is a great day to start that process. Here are some things you can consider getting started with:
- Drink more water. Whenever you get hungry or if a snack attack rears its ugly head, grab a glass of water before indulging. Water will keep your digestive tract healthy but also help you slow down your eating as well.
- Get moving. If you’ve been meaning to exercise, try a brisk walk around the neighborhood or some polymetrics when you get back home. You won’t need equipment or a gym, so you have no excuses. One tip I learned from reading Kara Goucher’s book was to consider days off versus days of training. Tell yourself that you’ll get three days off instead of working out four days. Reverse psychology works!
- Try eating healthier. Make small substitutions. Switch your regular soda for diet soda. Switch soda for water. Go sugar free with your coffee. Eat less bread at the table. Put less salt on your fries. Substitute out candy for fruit or trail mix.
- Save some cash. Pack a lunch (or two or five). If you love eating out, try getting things to go and save on the tip. (Stingy, I know.) Or, skip restaurants all together, head to the grocery store, and start cooking.
- Give yourself one power hour a day. Make it a distraction-free zone and power through some work that’s been difficult or a project you’ve been wanting to tackle. An hour a day for a week puts you substantially closer (to the tune of 7 hours) to whatever goal you had in mind.
If you fall off the bandwagon, next Monday is just around the corner. Try again! Also, remember that you are in complete control of your life. You can just hit the reset button and re-start your goals over at anytime. You might also find that you’ll alleviate a lot of stress by making things in your life more predictable. Everyone wins.
So, what are you going to change this week?
Amara in Training 