Monday has rolled around again and how are you feeling?
Are you up and at ‘em, energised, raring to go?
Or is it more a case of pulling the duvet over your head with a groan as the alarm goes off?
Perhaps you overindulged with food and drink a little bit (or a lot) at the weekend?
I know how it goes… Somehow that Friday nigh exuberance melts into Saturday, then on Sunday you’re drowning your sorrows that it’s nearly Monday…
I’ve been there, I can also tell you that it’s no way to live your life.
All you’re doing is locking yourself into a rinse and repeat cycle that’s not serving you.
An in our 40s and 50s especially, we a) just can’t get away physically, mentally, emotionally with days of over eating and drinking, and b) deserve better for ourselves frankly.
By all means enjoy life, especially at the weekend, but learn the difference between fun, and drowning out your emotions.
Just pause for a minute and think about how it would feel to wake up feeling energised on a Monday morning, and carry that through the week…
It is possible. It’s a holistic job, you need to dial in your exercise, your nutrition and start the mental repetitions that will set you up to be raring to go.
It also doesn’t meant that you can’t enjoy yourself at the weekend (or in the week) but it’s about finding the balance between your desire for gratification now, and you’re longer term goals.
That’s why we work on mindset with our clients as well as coaching them on sustainable nutrition and simple short workouts.
Each supports the other, and that’s why our approach to transformation at midlife works, because it’s designed for the midlife body, and because it incorporates behaviour change as well as exercise and nutrition.
So, how would you like to feel next Monday?
It’s Friday! What Does That Mean To You?
We all love a Friday, the end of the working week, the start of the weekend…
When I was younger ,“Thursday is the new Friday” was one of my mantras – often marking the start of a series of questionable decisions that would see the weekend pass by in a blur and leave me feeling horrible by Monday.
Now I’m pushing 50 I still love my weekends. I still love to see friends and have fun, but I also love feeling fresh, moving my body, and feeling a sense of achievement – whether that’s from a run outdoors, some boxing training or working on a new project…
Here’s a TRUTH BOMB…
In your 40s and 50s not only can you NOT party like you did in your 20s and get away with it… you can’t eat like you did, train like you did or recover like you did.
It’s a different ball game. It’s a simple reality we can’t escape.
So here’s how to get the BEST from your 40s, 50s and beyond.
Optimise your training and nutrition.
Optimise your recovery.
Be aware of how you’re impacting your hormone balance.
And seek to find balance between living in the moment and your goals.
I don’t make the same choices for myself now as I did when I was younger.
I’m in a different place. I want different things from life.
….AND, I’m now super-aware of what impact my choices are going to have on me the next day – if not for the week ahead.
By balancing that desire for instant gratification with the desire for the immediate future, I find I can make much better choices all around.
I make the choices that are going to serve me not in the moment, but for what I want to achieve.
If this is something you’re struggling with here are a couple of things to do:
Schedule something active fairly early on Saturday and/or Sunday morning, ideally with someone else (accountability!) so that when that choice point comes, you can remind yourself that you want to feel good, or at least half human in the morning
When you hit that choice point, stop, and before you tip over into not thinking – DO THINK. Think about what you want from your weekend – and beyond. Pause and bring awareness to your actions, as this can interrupt and stop the choice we might be about to make and regret!
Claire and I left Marbella on Tuesday afternoon after two whirlwind days of packing and cleaning.
We drove for 11 hours before catching the ferry for 26 hours then driving another two…
And I started my Friday with a fasted HIIT because after a journey like that, I know it’s something that will energise me and set me up for the day.
We’ll also be celebrating Claire’s mum’s birthday, catching the rugby (with a beer or two I’m sure), unpacking and settling back in to our London home….
But we’ll also find time to hit the gym and make some work plans amongst the fun, because we’re striking the balance between now, and our goals…
AND that’s how at almost 50 I, and so you, can stay in shape, stay focussed, stay energised and excited about the future.
As for Monday? I can’t wait!
So what’s up for you this weekend?