I blogged about Blue Monday earlier today, and hope I shared some useful tips for you to use not only on a Monday, but on every other day of the week.

I then subsequently read that one UK gym chain, Fitness First, is having a Red Monday day at all 73 of its clubs and running high intensity fitness classes even for non-members. I personally think Red Monday is a message that is worth spreading, as exercise and physical activity does have a positive impact on our mental wellbeing and that is something that’s backed by scientific study, unlike the Blue Monday message I mentioned earlier.

So with this in mind, here are 5 more quick and easy tips, to stay and remain motivated this RED Monday and on other Mondays in the future:-

1.Get excited

If you want to break out of a slump, then get yourself excited about a goal. This sounds obvious, but most people don’t think about it much.

It starts with inspiration from others but you have to have that excitement and build on it. Talk to others about it and read as much as you can about it as possible. Visualise what it would be like to be successful, see the benefits of reaching the goal in your head.

Once you’ve done that, it’s just a matter of carrying that energy forward and keeping it going.

2.Be realistic

People often give up on their plans because their expectations are too high. There’s no harm in thinking big, though recognise that getting big results will take time and hard work.

Don’t be discouraged, but do be realistic about what you can achieve in the short term. Make a list of these and tick them off as you go.

3.Stay on track

Checking your progress helps you to see how you’re getting on and enables you to make adjustments if needed, so helping you to reach your goal.

Think about it daily. If you think about your goal every day it’s more likely to become true. To this end, posting the goal on your wall or computer desk top helps a lot.

Sending yourself daily reminders also helps. And if you can commit to doing one small thing to further your goal, even just 5 minutes, every day, your goal will almost certainly come true.

4.Believe in YOU

Having faith in yourself and your inner strength helps you make positive changes that feel right for you. Squash those negative thoughts, replace them with positive ones. Start monitoring your self-talk.

Recognise negative self-talk, which is really causing your slump.

 Just spend a few days becoming self-aware of every negative thought.

Then, after a few days, try squashing those thoughts and then replacing them with a corresponding positive thought. Squash “this is too hard” with “I can do this.” It really works!

Above all, stay positive – being positive helps your unconscious mind to focus on seeing a way around the challenge.            

5.Reward yourself

Saying ‘well done’ to yourself when you achieve something can make you feel great and gives you the encouragement and incentive to keep going. Promise yourself some sort of reward each time you complete a step or task.

For most people, the tools of the trade are guilt, doubt, shame and self-flogging. Instead of celebrating the 6 sales they have made, they see the 10 they haven’t! Sound familiar?

To people used to beating themselves up, it may seem like the best way to get motivated; but consider this: if you attempted to motivate an employee like this, how long do you think they’d stick around? How successful would they be?

Do it differently. Instead, try to approach your goals from a position of ‘possibilities’. Find ways to use regular rewards to pat yourself on the back and give yourself a word of encouragement.

Instead of focusing on what you do wrong, pay more attention to what you did right. While straight talk and brutal honesty are often good for getting you going, for sustained motivation – and that’s the key thing –  the positive approach will keep you from burning out.

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