How do you feel on a Monday morning?

Refreshed, organised and ready for the week, or tired, overwhelmed and feeling…well just rubbish? Let’s face it, we have probably, at times experienced both. Monday morning has the potential to set your week up to be productive so you feel accomplished by the weekend. So, what can we do to achieve that motivating Monday mood? Advice always needs to be tailored to individuals and their lives, as things are never this easy, but here are some ‘top line’ tips to help you stay on track and improve overall wellbeing in body and mind: (not done in any order)…

 

Plan your meals for the week

Take the time to write down a plan – this really was a game-changer for me. The more you do this the less time it will take.  Think about what evenings you will have time to cook, and what evenings will be a bit of a rush. What are the family and work plans? On the evenings where you have a bit more time – cook double so you can use the rest of the food for another night.  Plan what dinners can be turned into lunches. Planning meals in this way can also help with budgeting.

 

Eat Well

I have personally found that if you plan your meals it’s easier to eat healthier and make better decisions. When you do your meal plan, plan for the weekend as well. Drink plenty of water and vegetables. Sunday morning you may have more time to cook breakfast so make this the day you have spinach, mushrooms and tomatoes with your eggs. Variation of fruits and vegetables is key for a healthful weekend. Aim to eat more vegetables than fruit.

 

Exercise

Even if it’s just a 30 min walk or jog, try to fit some activity into Saturday or Sunday. Then plan when you can work out during the week. Add this to your diary, calendar or phone. Like any other meeting you schedule, make it happen. Be realistic, if you have a crazy busy week then schedule a 15-minute mini circuit to do in your lounge or bedroom. Discover how you like to work out. Try different programmes, if you are not motivated enough to exercise at home, then maybe joining a fitness studio or gym will make you more accountable. Also, some online programmes these days have social groups to keep you accountable. Building a community around your workout sessions helps motivation.

 

Sleep More

Recently the government have brought out new sleep guidelines and they recommend at least 7 hours a night. According to a new survey 3 out of 4 adults do not get enough sleep. I am definitely ‘one of those people that needs sleep’. But in all honesty, we all do but we may just not know what it feels like to feel properly rested.  Sleep helps with mental and physical wellbeing so it’s so so important and has a knock-on effect on decisions to do with exercise, food and drink. Diet and lifestyle have a lot to do with how well we sleep so this should always be assessed individually. In addition, you can try to sleep at regular times. Switch the blue light off on your phone and don’t look at your phone at least an hour before bed. If you need to wind down take a bath or read.

 

Drink Less

Depending on how old you are, what stresses you have and health status, alcohol and subsequent hangovers can really affect your flow in the week. Honestly take a look at your weekend alcohol consumption – should it be modified? Have a soft drink in between each alcoholic drink and drink plenty of water. Stop drinking alcohol 2 – 3 hours before you go to sleep and still get to bed at a reasonable hour. Can you bring your social plans a bit earlier so you can finish them earlier? On the weekend, we are statistically likely to go to bed later anyway and some social occasions dictate this but you can still moderate how often this happens and start to reign it in. When you find balance in your life and feel well, these decisions become easier to make.