Non-Food Rewards
In our culture, we’re conditioned to have food or treat rewards - from a really early age, we get rewarded for good behavior. Do any of these sound familiar to you?
We’re given m&ms for learning to use the potty as toddlers
Rewarded with ice cream when we get good grades on tests
The lists go on & continue WELL into adulthood
How The Reward System Works
The reward system is basically rewarding ourselves with mini gifts or services when we accomplish something. It’s a way to motivate us to keep going, or simply something to congratulate ourselves in a way, for doing what we did.
Those rewards can be getting a present for yourself, treating yourself to something nice, or food. Oftentimes, it’s unhealthy food. I know that using a reward system like food can work really well when trying to get people to take on new habits, but it can derail us from our weight loss efforts or fitness goals. It seems crazy to reward good health and fitness behavior with actions that are opposed to it, like chocolate after a run. It simply doesn’t make sense to reward yourself with something unhealthy when you manage to eat healthy. Sure, it’s okay to eat unhealthy from time to time, but seeing it as a reward when you accomplish a fitness goal is counter-productive. Thinking of it like that can alter your way of seeing food.
Instead!
If you’re trying to lose weight, find other ways to reward behavior so you feel good about adopting new habits. There are definitely better rewards for weight loss.
Rewards should encourage the positive behavior or habit we’re trying to cultivate. Keeping them related to each other can help positively reinforce the habit on your weight loss journey.
So for example, if you’re trying to exercise more often and you’re on a fitness journey, a reward for exercising three times per week for a month could be a new pair of running shoes or workout pants.
How To Keep Track Of Your Fitness Progress
Keeping track of your fitness progress is important for multiple reasons. First of all, it can help you see how much you still need to do to reach your goal. Secondly, and even more importantly, it can help you see how much you’ve accomplished, which will make you proud of yourself. A good tip for keeping track of your goals, is to set mini goals when starting your fitness journey. Mini goals aren’t the long-term ones, but shorter goals which you can accomplish in less time. By doing that, you’ll be so proud of yourself whenever you reach a mini goal, and that will motivate you to keep going.
So, are you looking for some ways to track your fitness habits? If yes, I have a few suggestions.
For water, I highly recommend carrying a large water bottle with you everywhere so you know how much you’ve had to drink and you can track your progress. For exercise, use a fitness tracker to see how often or how much you’re exercising to track your fitness progress. You can find some that are like social media for fitness to help build a community of people working towards similar goals. Those trackers can also be useful for different reasons. They can give you fitness goal suggestions based on your body composition, age, food preferences, etc. Plus, they will tell you how much protein you ate, how many carbs, how much fat, etc. That will help you know if your meals are balanced, and whether or not you need to balance them out more.
Tracking will help you reach your weight loss goals sooner.
I asked you in Instagram Stories about your ideas for non-food rewards - here is your amazing list! I added a few of my own that I thought could be good. Try a new one this week. :)
I tried to group them by category - but this is not by any means a perfect organization method haha! I’m sure you can think of others that should be on this list too. Make sure you’re rewarding yourself with things that feel good to you.
Non-Food Rewards
Rest & Relaxation
Take a nap
Read a magazine
Listen to music
Hanging out with your pet
Calling a friend
Going on Pinterest
Reading a blog
Online “window shopping”
Getting workout clothes for yourself
Get a mini massage
Watching an episode of a favorite show on Netflix, Hulu, etc.
Driving around
Going to a park
Sitting on your rooftop (if it’s safe)
Putting PJs in the dryer & getting cozy
Doing your own nails
Buying nail polish
Taking a bubble bath
Buying new clothes or makeup
Go to bed
Full body massage
Getting a mani/ pedi
Hanging out with friends
Alone time
Journaling (try this one sentence pretty journal!)
Getting a cup of coffee or tea
Buying a new pair of shoes
Doing a face mask (try this one!)
Organizing a part of your house or room
Cleaning 1 room or drawer
Pampering self with nice skincare products
Take a walk - get outside
Getting fresh flowers
Getting a new house plant
Planning a fun friend date
Getting out paints or colored pencils - doing an adult coloring book
Planning a date with your significant other
Hobbies
Buy a new book on Amazon
Read a book
Listen to a podcast
Buying new pens for journaling
Buying a new journal
Taking 15 minutes to learn a new language e.g. on the app DuoLingo
Furthering Health Goals
Downloading a new meal plan (hehe try mine! 🤩)
Going for a quick walk
Going for a bike ride
Doing a workout class e.g. yoga
Walking around the mall, window shopping
Taking a day off from the gym
Splurging on a more expensive type of gym class
Researching some fun new recipes
Getting a fancy water bottle that has times of day listed on it
Getting a blender to make smoothies (or something else you can use to prepare healthy meals)
Big time rewards
Weekend getaway
Beach day
Amusement park trip
A clothing item you wanted to get that’s not super cheap
