You know that looking and feeling great will be the ultimate reward for working out and eating healthily, but that takes a long time. In the meantime, you need healthy rewards to congratulate yourself for making it through a tough workout or going to the gym when you felt like staying home. Pizza, beer or hot fudge sundaes are definitely inappropriate, so what is a good option? It has to be in line with your fitness goals and also be something you enjoy.
Sometimes just recording your success is enough.
One reason tracking your workout is so important is that it can drive you to do better each time. If your best workout involved 6 sets of each exercise and you had a tough time, then celebrate when you make it to 7 sets. Give yourself an overall score after each workout. Compete against yourself. The reward is often knowing you accomplished something you couldn’t do previously.
If you need more than just the accomplishment, find something you want that is frivolous.
Not everyone is driven by gold stars and a sense of accomplishment. It’s why they pay you when you go to work, instead of just giving stickers. Find something super lavish that’s not in your normal range of extravagance. Maybe it’s a special shampoo, comfortable, upscale casual wear, or an expensive pair of shoes. Every time you complete a particularly grueling workout, give yourself permission to use the object you chose. If you’re achieving your goals regularly, you’ll have that shampoo gone in no time or those shoes well broken in.
Treat yourself to dinner.
Do you hate cooking, then find a place to buy healthy meals and take yourself and/or your family out to dinner instead of cooking. If you love cooking, have special recipes ready and buy what you need at a local farmers’ market. Indulge yourself with recipes that you’d save for special occasions. You are the special occasion of the day.
- Only you know what drives you. Some people hate running, but find it tolerable if they’re running toward a destination. In that case, the reward is arriving at the destination.
- If what you want is way out of line with your budget, pay yourself to workout and then use the money you’ve saved. Put a few dollars in a jar every time you hit a goal or worked hard. It won’t take long to treat yourself to something expensive.
- Take “me” time. Carve out an hour and let yourself enjoy it, doing whatever you want. You can plan ahead and if you don’t hit a goal, choose a task to do that you’ve been neglecting and do it instead.
- Make your next workout something you love to do. You don’t have to go to the gym, go dancing instead and dance to every song. Take a day at the pool and do pool calisthenics. Have fun and get fit at the same time.
For more information, contact us today at Reggie C. Fitness