No matter what your fitness goal is, achieving that goal is rewarding. Along the way, sometimes you need a little boost, which is when you should reward yourself. If you’re starting a fitness program, results aren’t immediate. A small reward for an intense workout or staying loyal to your plan can go a long way. Whether your ultimate goal is running an eight-minute mile or lifting twice your weight, sometimes just making it through the complete workout without stopping to rest can be an achievement. When you achieve that, you need to celebrate and reward yourself.
There are many ways to celebrate benchmarks.
A benchmark isn’t necessarily your goal, but a hurdle to overcome along the way. Most people have goals that take months to achieve and don’t see any physical changes from their workouts for several weeks. A reward helps people stay motivated, but it shouldn’t be food, especially if it’s a pint of ice cream or pastry! It should be a luxury, like a massage, a long soak in the tub, or a full hour for yourself.
Find your guilty pleasure.
Are there items of clothing that you consider out of your price range, but would love? Maybe there’s a cruise you’d like to take or a weekend getaway that sparks your interest. To achieve that goal, you need to pay yourself. Create a jar to hold your payments. If you had a normal workout, give yourself a small amount, maybe a dollar. If your workout was intense, increase the amount, going as high as $4 to $5. If you miss a workout, take out a dollar and donate it to charity or give it to a friend or family member.
Workouts don’t always have to be in the gym.
If you’re a beast in the gym one day, give yourself permission for your next workout to be something fun. Find something you love to do, like going dancing and dancing to every song. Make your reward for an intense workout a fun activity that’s physically challenging. Walk or ride a bike to meet a friend for dinner or do laps in a pool. Give yourself permission to flex those muscles you’ve created doing something fun that you couldn’t do before you started an exercise program.
- Let others know your accomplishments. Don’t be shy about sharing your feats on social media. Whether it’s taking a before and after picture and sharing or just letting people know how hard you’ve worked, sharing your accomplishments can be rewarding.
- Search for healthy snacks and find the ones you love. After a tough workout you deserve a reward and also need a post workout snack that’s a combination of carbs and protein. Save the special snacks for that reward.
- Keep score. It’s rewarding. Take the time to track your progress. List the exercises you did, including the number of repetitions and sets. Record how easy or difficult it was so you can visualize how much you’re improving.
- Take time to spend with family or friends just having fun. It doesn’t have to be formal. Play basketball with the kids or a rousing game of tag. Call a friend to meet you for coffee and enjoy the conversation and time with your friend.
For more information, contact us today at Hawaii Fit Camp!
