Every single time I’ve started a new workout routine, or an old one after falling off the wagon, I’ve started on a Monday. Monday feels like the start of the week for a lot of people, even though most of us start with Sunday when we write out the week.
I am on week two of a nine-week long personal challenge I set for myself, and it requires working out 6 times a week, with one rest day. Like every other time, I wrote my schedule starting on Monday and resting on Sunday, but this time, I tried something new.
I started my week on a Tuesday. It was the best decision I could have made.
1. Sunday is the worst day for a rest day.
Sundays normally aren’t filled with too many things. With that in mind, you’re normally sitting around, burning fewer calories than normal. Plus, because you’re potentially out of food in your fridge, you’re more likely to slip up, or just eat all day. No movement + more calories than normal is not a great way to get closer to your fitness goal.
2. On Monday, you’re not actually in your routine.
Waking up early to head to work is dreadful. Especially on Mondays. It’s that much harder to wake up earlier than that to get your workout in. Monday rest day means getting a few extra minutes of sleep to get you ready for the week (or, really just the day) ahead. Monday may be the beginning of the week, but more often than not, it’s a drastically different day than the day before. No one is ready for that change early in the morning.
3. More time for meal prepping.
One of the hardest parts about living a clean, or even a slightly healthier lifestyle is meal prepping. Not only the planning and grocery shopping, but the actual execution. With some expected free time over the weekend for planning and shopping, resting on Monday gives an entire evening for cooking meals for the week. No more excuse of “I don’t have time to make dinner tonight, I’ll just pick up fried chicken” during the week.
4. It makes your week go faster.
Starting on Tuesday means only working out four days during the week (and then of course, the weekend). That’s pretty awesome. Two workouts in, and you’re already to hump day. Cheers to that!
5. You’ll never “miss a Monday” again.
All of us start off the week strong, and may hit some bumps along the way, but look to Monday as our “refresh.” Or, not working out on Monday somehow gives us license to scrap the entire week. Monday rest days mean you’re never going to miss one – no excuses, all results.