We are several weeks into the New Year. For many people that also means several weeks into new goals and resolutions. I hope you are doing well with your healthy living goals and finding success without being overwhelmed. Now is a great time to take a quick inventory of the positive steps you have made. Have you begun using my tip for healthier eating and selecting items with the shortest ingredient list? How are you doing with the tip to take control of mindless eating? Are you beginning to make conscious choices about what you eat and drink? Have you begun to monitor more than just your weight? Are you making positive steps forward in your short term health and fitness goals? It is far too easy to overlook or minimize our achievements and only focus on mistakes or shortcomings. This behavior quickly lessens our motivation and can cause us to give up on our quest for healthier living and reaching attainable goals. One way to focus less on the areas that still need work and shining the spotlight on where you have seen achievements is by rewarding yourself. Public praise and notice of our weight loss accomplishments can be encouraging. Unfortunately, when that encouragement is missing it can cause us to lose our motivation. Learning to be your own best cheerleader can help you maintain your focus on your goals and keep you moving toward them. Rewards are one way to cheer yourself on to success. Small daily rewards can be very helpful to stay focused on making positive daily choices. For instance, I reward myself with my morning coffee after I have consumed three cups of water. I don't treat myself to a diet soda until all my water intake goal has been met for the day. These little daily rewards keep me motivated to meet my daily water goals, which can sometimes be a struggle. You might treat yourself to a bubble bath, reading time or watching your favorite television show at the end of the day when you have met all your daily goals. Pick any small daily reward that will motivate you to meet your daily goals. Be sure you are willing to forgo the treat if you don't meet your goal. Missing your reward today will motivate you to meet your goal tomorrow. You can also use small rewards like movies, song downloads or new books for goals such as meeting nutrient intake or exercise goals for an entire week. Bigger rewards such as clothes, trips, or jewelry are great for larger goal accomplishments such as reaching your weight loss goal or completing your first race. Healthy habits come from repetition. Rewards provide motivation to keep going and help reinforce consistency. You can reward yourself with anything that helps you continue making positive lifestyle choices. Whether you treat yourself to a new song download or a massage at the end of a successful week or a trip for reaching your weight loss goal, rewards provide self-motivation. Be sure the rewards you select and build into your plan are meaningful and motivating to you. Be careful not to focus too much on monetary rewards. Focusing on small opportunities to pamper yourself can be the best treats in the world especially when you have earned it. What rewards do you use to motivate yourself to success? |
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