I heard the saying “You should never take a Monday off,” back when I was competitively bodybuilding. It’s safe to say I definitely do not body build anymore #fluffy. Regardless, I did learn quite a few lessons that carried over into many of other aspects of life. Never taking off a Monday might be the best piece of advice I’ve ever been given.

I don’t mean literally taking Monday off from work.

Taking off Monday isn’t about physically not going to work or showing up for your responsibilities that day. It’s about not letting your excuses win.

In bodybuilding, the workouts and diet are extremely strict. Every single day is calculated. One misstep and there goes the entire plan! 16 weeks worth of hard work would be ruined and future plans would be shifted and altered to make up for the time lost. One slip up can cause a severely negative chain reaction.

Coming off the weekend high, it’s difficult to reign back in focus and snap back into the grind. But you can’t allow yourself to fall off track, from whatever it is you are chasing. Just as easily as the chain reaction can be negative, it can also be positive.

If it’s being a bodybuilder, getting a promotion at work, or building a brand, you can’t let your excuses get the best of you and put your progress one day back from where it should be. Keep everything moving upwards and to the right, don’t take a Monday off.

If you skip Monday, you’ll want to skip the rest of the days of the week too.

Monday is typically the first day of the work week and is what drives the mood, or crashes it, for the rest of the week. If you allow yourself to procrastinate and push off what you need to do, chances are you’ll continue to push it off. It’s easier to give up than it is to put in the work and grind.

With bodybuilding, there are times when you can’t move because your body is too tired. The training and workouts are so rigorous and the caloric intake is so low, that there is barely enough energy to do simple tasks.

Common thoughts are, I’ll just sleep in this morning, If I don’t train today I’ll just eat less, One day off won’t kill me. If you sleep in one morning, you’ll want to sleep in the next. If you don’t train today and mess up your meal plan, your nutrition will be off. One day off may actually kill all your progress.

Take a lesson from all the body builders out there, you may not see it right away or notice a difference immediately, but if you skip what you need to be doing there will be side effects. What about if you don’t skip a Monday?

If you can make it through Monday, you can survive the rest of the week

Kick starting the week on a positive note and doing what you set out to do can light your fire to keep it going for the rest of the week. Mondays are typically the speed bump to the week. They’re tough because the weekend can be so fun and you are content with where you are. Being content can be deadly.

Completing a tough workout on Monday, for a bodybuilder, can define your whole week. If you put in the effort and time, it will be returned to you. Knowing you crushed the most difficult part of your week gets you ready to take on the remainder.

Getting over the Monday speed bump can lead to some next level productivity. Proving to yourself that you are stronger than your excuses can keep that momentum and positive energy moving for days to come.

In bodybuilding, one workout can change your whole physique. One more treadmill session can get you that much leaner. You won’t know what could be, unless you do it.

The one workout that you don’t skip and the mile that you ran even though your legs wanted to give out ultimately was the difference between placing in a show and not. Just that thought, knowing you accomplished something that seemed so difficult becomes the light you need to keep working and moving forward.

A positive Monday leads to a positive Tuesday and so on. Giving your best on Monday will make your Tuesday better, which will make your Wednesday better. Get it?

If you didn’t realize it yet your “Monday” can really be anything.

Tackling Monday isn’t just something for bodybuilders. Getting over your excuses and not caving into being mediocre and content can relay to life on so many different levels. Work, Education, Professional Development, Household Chores or Tasks, really anything can be your Monday. When you debate “skipping a Monday” you are asking yourself, “How bad do I really want this?”

Don’t wait another day to start working towards your goal, whatever it is. Wasted time can’t be brought back, so get going on the right foot and do what you set out to do. Whatever effort you put in will get you closer to your goal. Skipping is the only thing that can move you backwards.

You’ll run into days you’re too tired, unmotivated, and lazy. Don’t fall to your excuses. Remember to never skip a Monday.

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