I have lost count of the number of times I’ve had a new client cry their eyes out to me because they feel so uncomfortable in their own skin. It’s a god awful feeling, and as a trainer, it’s something that never gets’s easier. After the tears have finally stopped, almost every person follows their uncontrollable sobbing with the words ‘so can I start on Monday?’.

Why Monday? What is so special about Monday? Did the five whole days between now and Monday just magically disappear?

Let’s be honest here. The only reason for wanting to start on Monday is so that you can spend the rest of the week “preparing yourself” for a healthy lifestyle. And by preparing yourself I mean devouring anything and everything that you can get your hands on (that’s right I went there). Once Monday comes around, you feel ready to ‘change your life’, but 3 days into your program you mess up and drive through MacDonald’s. Suddenly, disappointment sets in. “Oh my God, I’m so stupid! Why did I do this? I’ll never lose weight. Oh well, I’ve screwed up today already, I may as well keep eating and I’ll just start over on Monday”.

See the pattern here?

We try to convince ourselves that we can’t possibly start something unless it’s Monday, because if we mess up somewhere in the middle of the week then that whole week is ruined.

Not true.

That meal is ruined. Take it into account, and start again straight away! One cheat meal is better than an entire week of cheat meals. I don’t know how this way of thinking ever came about. If you actually think about it, and I mean really think about it, it’s rather dumb.

No successful person ever reached their goals by saying ‘I’ll start on Monday’.