I’m writing this blog on Monday (yesterday). And like many of you–fellow Baby Boomers, older adults, or younger–I try to face each Monday morning with a commitment to start the week off right, especially healthy eating and fitness
Here’s some good news: if you feel the same, now you can get extra motivation to jumpstart your wellness goal with The Monday Campaigns (mondaycampaigns.org).
Why Mondays?
Researchers from Johns Hopkins University wondered if Mondays, the traditional “first day of the week,” would be particularly effective for inspiring folks to make positive behavioral changes. So they scoured the literature and here’s what they found:
- Almost 70% of us view Monday as the first day of the week.
- Many websites, blogs, and books are re-framing Mondays from that day of dread to one with a more positive slant.
- In one survey, more than half of adults viewed Mondays as a fresh start.
- And almost half are likely to begin a diet or exercise program on Mondays.
Thus began The Monday Campaigns (on Twitter: #motivationmonday), a public health initiative to support people in starting and sustaining healthy behaviors.
Online Resources
If you’re interested, go to mondaycampaigns.org. Here you’ll find a plethora of healthful information, including resources for:
- Meatless Monday–This is a global movement with a simple message: one day a week, cut out meat! Launched in 2003 in association with Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Meatless Monday is now embraced in more than 40 countries. The goal is to reduce meat consumption by 15% for personal health and the health of the planet.
- Healthy Monday–Healthy Monday gives people an easy way to start their week with a fresh and healthy mindset through a weekly “reset” practice. The reset practice can be done on its own or in combination with other tips distributed through the weekly Healthy Monday newsletter.
- Move It Monday–This is an international campaign encouraging people of all fitness levels to kick off the week with exercise. You’ll find simple workouts, tips, and inspiration to help individuals, worksites, schools, and communities incorporate physical activity into their weekly routines.
- Kids Cook Monday–The Kids Cook Monday is a weekly opportunity for families to enjoy the healthy habit of cooking together and eating family meals. The campaign provides family-friendly recipes via its Family Dinner Date newsletter, website and social media channels. It also offers free resources for parents and educators.
You can sign up for newsletters and blogs to receive valuable information, relevant to your particular wellness goals–delivered to your phone, tablet, or computer each Monday. Tips are provided for individuals, families, schools, and workplace health programs.
So the next time you wake on up Monday feeling the dread of another week, log onto mondaycampaigns.org for inspiration, 52 times a year!
For help in getting your Motivation Mondays going, give me a call!
We can discuss some practical tips and discover if any of my programs or classes are a good fit for your friends or family.
If you’d like to schedule that call with me, just CLICK THIS LINK, and let me know in the message that you would like a 1-on-1 call with me right away and I will be in touch to schedule that—oh, and leave me your phone number in there too since email is not as reliable as it used to be! Thanks.
Lisa Teresi Harris is a Registered Dietitian, Certified Personal Trainer, and author of the book Building Your Enduring Fitness. A certified Geri-Fit Instructor, she helps Boomers and seniors to regain and keep muscle strength, mobility, and energy.
Contact Lisa to inquire about a customized, in-home fitness program for you or a loved one.