The Real Reason You Never Start a New Life on Monday

Starting a new life doesn’t happen on a Monday, the New Year, or even the summer—it begins the moment you are truly ready. In this guest post, Alexander Andrianov uses the example of a gym to explain why the popular 'fresh start on a beautiful date' approach rarely works, and what it really takes to start changing your life.

Monday is notorious: gyms are overcrowded with people. Locker rooms have real traffic jams, machines are impossible to access, and there are lines for the showers. The whole country seems to be embracing fitness!

But the surprising thing is by Wednesday, attendance drops significantly, and by Friday it’s much lower; come Saturday, the gym is nearly empty.

This happens because people “start their new life” usually on Monday. They read a few articles online, show up at the gym thinking they already know everything and don’t need a trainer.

Then they randomly hop from machine to machine, pushing themselves to the limit—literally giving it their all. After all, when you decide to get fit, it’s all about blood, sweat, and tears.

It’s good if this person doesn’t faint from overexertion. But even if they don’t, the next morning they’ll curse everything because their body will ache terribly.

Then they conclude that fitness is probably not for them—it’s for the young and early risers, and it’s too late for them now. Or maybe they’re just not cut out for it. Made for beer, maybe vodka on holidays, but not for sports.

The most persistent might come back on Tuesday, maybe even Wednesday, but after repeatedly abusing their body without a plan, they say goodbye to fitness forever. They’ll show up a couple times a month just to ease their conscience—after all, they paid for the membership. And after especially heavy drinking sessions, they’ll come back “to fix their health.”

In reality, you can’t fix your health by working out after drinking alcohol, but people tend to ignore that—doctors just exaggerate to maintain their status, right?

Gym attendance is highly predictable: almost every Monday, at the start of the month, and especially in January—if you knew how many people start their new life in January!

I always watch this scene with some sadness because it’s always the same. It’s great if out of 50 enthusiastic starters, at least 3 or 4 remain after a month.

Truly Changing Your Life

Of course, I welcome people coming to the gym, but there’s nothing more foolish than planning your visit around a beautiful date like Monday or the New Year. These dates are just illusions.

The desire to get fit, like any other goal, must mature.

You need to understand and feel why you want this, what you want to change in your life, and truly want it—not just a fleeting whim!

When the desire ripens, that’s when you should come to the gym. Only then will you have real motivation. You’ll consult a professional trainer, create a workout plan, discuss achievable results and timelines, and cover nutrition. In short, you’ll approach it systematically.

Fitness is a long-term strategy. You can’t live carelessly, eat whatever you want, avoid exercise, and then expect a Brad Pitt-like body and six-pack abs by summer if you start in January. At best, that might happen in two years—and only if you train consistently.

A person who starts on a beautiful date isn’t really ready for fitness. They want to boost their ego—"Look how smart I am, starting fitness at this perfect moment!" They want their spouse to be proud, friends to respect them.

They seek approval, follow trends, or try to live like some moral authority. Anything but sweating it out. They’re not ready to change their lifestyle, diet, or endure limitations.

They daydream that perfect abs will magically appear from above. They don’t realize what lies ahead, and when they face reality, they lose willpower.

I call these people 'dogs in the manger': they soon quit the gym but create unnecessary crowding and disturb those who are serious.

If you decide to change your life and start something—whether fitness, a new business, or building a house—don’t wait for a perfect date. Start when you feel the need.

Approach it systematically: study the subject carefully to prepare for what lies ahead.

So instead of relying on beautiful dates for motivation, use:

1. Matured desire: fully understand the need, timing, and challenges of your new endeavor.
2. Systematic approach: gather as much information as possible and understand what will be required from you.
3. Patience: don’t expect quick results, enjoy the process and small victories.

These three principles will provide endless motivation and strong support for your willpower.

Have you ever tried starting a new life on Monday? Did it work?

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