Hi There! welcome to Rachel DiFronzo fitness!

Before we know it, it’s Sunday afternoon, and Monday is waiting for us around the corner. I don’t know about you guys, but that is when my nervous thoughts for the week start to set in. I still have so much to do to prepare myself for having a successful week. Yet, before I know it, I am going to bed with this underlying weight on my chest of not being prepared.

I make sure to prepare for all my clients each day and week before Monday starts, but what about me? I also have to take care of myself. That thought tended to be lost for some time, but as I am sure you have all felt at some point, that feeling is not warm and fuzzy by any means. 

I am sure that at some point across your feeds —whether it be Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, etc.— the idea of a “Sunday reset” has come up. Well, let me tell you, if you haven’t tried it yet, it works wonders! Every person’s ideal Sunday of “resetting” or “prepping” for the week will and should look different. What works for one may not work for another. That is the beauty of it. It may also change from week to week, depending on work, stress, life events, and other factors. 

I am writing this to help implement ideas while you start to create your own routine to feel clean, calm, and collected going into your Monday. 

Number 1: 

• Look at your week ahead! What does it look like? A standard week? New meetings pop up? New clients to meet? Are you traveling? 

What your week looks like will drastically influence what you want/have to get done before the week starts. If you are traveling, maybe that means lining up babysitters for the kids, or more laundry since you have to pack! If you are having late meetings, maybe that means you should meal prep dinners or have easy to cook recipes for when you get home. This would ensure that you don’t have to worry about cooking a big meal late at night.

Number 2: 

• Make a list of all the productive things that will make your week easier!

There are things we all hate doing in the morning before work or when we come home. Odds are we are tired in the early morning as well as when we get home at night. I have found that when motivation is low, easier choices are made to avoid overexertion of brainpower. For example, one week I lacked planning dinners ahead of time, I came home after a long day and had a bag of potato chips for dinner…not very nutritious Rach. Making a list and putting it on a piece of paper, the notes app on your phone, or even a mental checklist of things you want to do that day can help ease up stress throughout the week. 

Number 3: 

• Think about what gives you the most headache during the week… and do that FIRST. 

Whether that is meal prep, washing the bed sheets, vacuuming, doing a huge grocery haul, etc. Nail down what you dread doing the most and get it over with. I’ve found myself to feel much more productive after doing that singular thing you hate which gives me fuel to keep going. This is because I already did the thing I wanted to do the least, so everything else is not as bad!

Number 4:

• Try to check off as many other things as you can, BUT remember that the weekend is your time to take a moment, breathe, and do something that fills your cup. This means doing something that fuels your soul, makes you feel energized, or recharges your battery. 

I find that it is hard to balance all the pieces. Work, health, relationships, kids, families, mental wellness, etc. There have been weeks where I do 20 things on Sunday and when everything is done I feel accomplished. However those are the times where I don’t sit down until 7:30pm and I go to bed at 8:30. This gave me no time to do something fun, or something that refills my cup. Hey, if knocking everything off your list is something that fills your cup, have at it! However, if these things feel more like things you have to do, but you know it will help you later in the week, be sure to try and carve out a little time for you, because you deserve it!

Number 5:

• Make it fun!

This one sounds a little silly, but I have found it helps! I am not someone who loves to do a huge reset on Sunday, but with changing it up to make it a little more exciting, I feel better about it than in past weeks. Maybe this could be stopping at your favorite coffee shop before going grocery shopping, or putting on your favorite playlist as you meal prep. Find something…anything at all that could make these tasks just a little more fun and I guarantee you it will make all the difference! 

Now, you may be wondering what to add to your list. After looking at your week and jotting down things that you are stressed about, and then thinking about what you can do during the weekend to help prep for that, jot those tasks down. 

For example, I get stressed out when I work a few long nights, so I know I won’t want to cook when I get home on those nights. Therefore, I do a big grocery shop on Sunday so I can easily prep meals on Monday since I get home a little earlier that day!

Here is a list of things you can think about adding to your list if you are having trouble thinking of things. 

• Grocery shopping 
• Laundry (clothes, sheets)
• Putting aside dry cleaning to take or dropping off/pickup
• Programming workouts (on your own/booking classes or personal training appointments for the week)
• Deep clean of different places (kitchen, bedroom, bedroom closet, mudroom, garage, etc)
• Mopping floors
• Vacuuming floors 
• Wiping down hard surfaces (countertops, tables, doorknobs, fridge, oven, stove, microwave)
• Reorganizing a space that is cluttered and has been put on the back burner because it’g gotten out of hand
• Meal prepping for different meals (breakfast, lunch, or dinner)
• Restock things you are low on (paper towels, toilet paper, etc)
• Plan outfits for the week (especially if you do not have an in-unit washer and dryer or have dry cleaning)

Take it one step at a time, and have fun doing it! Before you know it, the week will be that much easier!