Reward Yourself

Today I’m going to talk about something we sometimes forget to do, which is rewarding ourselves.

By: Coach Mike Harland

When someone walks into our facility, it’s usually with a goal in mind. Those goals could be related to weight loss or gain, strength gains, health related issues, or a list of many other things. They commit to changing so many aspects of their life, work hard day after day, and sometimes see no reward from their efforts.

It can become discouraging, especially in a world that relies on instant gratification.

The reality is, accomplishing a fitness related goal is typically a lengthy process. It can take months at a minimum and even years for some goals. After that, we have to maintain what we’ve accomplished. It really is a life long decision we make when committing to this new lifestyle.

So what happens when we don’t immediately see results?

People tend to get discouraged and burnt out. They sometimes feel their efforts don’t matter and the reality of how hard lifestyle changes are sets in.

I like to encourage our clients, and would also like to encourage you, to reward yourself through that process.

Why? Because there is a level of satisfaction and pride when we complete a task and get something for it. It has also been something proven to work since we were babies.

Learned to use the potty, here’s a reward.

Did good in school, here’s a star.

All of those rewards made you feel happy and want to continue to do the things that earned you the reward.

So why not do that now?

Start by setting small goals and giving yourself small rewards. Here are a few examples:

If you’re committing to eating better, make every dinner Friday night be whatever you want it to be. By the time that meal comes and you’ve been sticking to the meal plan, you will love having your cheat meal and really feel you’ve earned it.

How about committing to exercising 3 times per week and setting a massage appointment every 4th or 6th week. Not only will you feel great for accomplishing this, but your body will feel much better after the well deserved massage.

One I like, is to have clients buy a shirt one size down from what they are now. Their reward is getting to wear it once they’ve reached a certain change in body composition.

How good would that make you feel?

So remember, you work hard and deserve to show yourself some love for all of that hard work. Sit down, write out a goal, write the reward for reaching that goal, and go make it happen!