i love my MONSTER Mondays

It’s no secret that  Monday is the most dreaded day of the week.  It’s the start of another grinding work week for most people, and has even been given a slogan- “case of the Mondays”- that sums up the dreaded feeling of all that the day brings.  The day starts waaaay too early with an alarm ringing at an ungodly hour, and seems to go on forever until work finally ends and the rest of life has to be dealt with.  Cooking dinner, cleaning the house, picking up kids from school/sports practice, catching up with family/friends, starting to shop for holiday gifts, running errands; you name it, it’s all there waiting for us on Monday.  For most people, Monday is a day that looks best when it’s over.

Up until recently, Monday was not high on the list of things I look forward to.  But this all changed when I started my MONSTER Monday Workout Challenges.  MONSTER Mondays started when my lifting pal sent me the plan for one of our lifting sessions, which happen to be on Monday mornings.  It was a workout developed by Crossfit, and after taking one look at the plan I decided that the workout was going to be a MONSTER.  I blogged about it both before and after and the MONSTER Monday name stuck.  It was an absolutely intense sweatfest that wouldn’t have been possible without the support and motivation of a lifting buddy.  We both loved the workout so much that we couldn’t wait to do something similar again.  We have transformed our Monday morning lifting sessions into intense sweatfest challenges that push each of us to work harder and faster each time.

After a few weeks of MONSTER Monday workouts, I found myself actually looking forward to Monday mornings.  I know, I know, this sounds ridiculous- who actually gets excited for Monday?!  And that’s precisely my point: planting what is undoubtedly my hardest and BEST workout of the week smack in the middle of Monday mornings changed my outlook completely.  Now, instead of dreading the start to the week and the drag of the day, I get really excited to lift with a friend, give 150%, work HARD, get really sweaty, and end the session with a sense of earned pride. 

MONSTER Mondays have become more than just another workout.  They give a jumpstart to my entire week & remind me that if I can handle deadlifting 135lbs for 25 reps or walking up and down 2 flights of stairs x10 carrying 100lbs in extra weight, I can handle ANYTHING.  I have noticed an extra boost in my motivation to continue exercising hard for the rest of the week, as well as complimenting my efforts in the gym with healthy food choices.  My mood is at its best when I’m walking out the door after having completed another great challenge, proving to myself that anything is possible if you put your mind to it.

I challenge you to try to bring something similar into your Monday (or any day that is particularly difficult for you).  Instead of dreading a part of each week that you KNOW you can’t bypass, bring a new positive energy to it and drown out the dread!  Transform the worst part of your week into the most anticipated by adding in something that makes you shine.  When the worst becomes better, the good becomes great!!!