I love the idea of giving myself rewards when I reach a goal but it is not always a good idea to make them food related rewards. Here are 4 non-food related rewards I have given myself in the past and one that I am still waiting to achieve:
1. An item of clothing
I have never been a big fan of clothes shopping but as my body becomes slimmer I do need to start changing my clothes. Rather than wait and have to do loads at once, for every 24 lbs (2 stones / 12kgs) I lose I buy myself something new.
2. An accessory
I love earrings and as I used to have very short hair I would go out of my way to find chunky earrings. I recently threw away quite a few of them so now I will buy myself a new pair of earrings or some other type of accessory for every 14 lbs I lose.
3. A massage (can be self-massage)
Whenever my budget will allow I book myself a massage and when it doesn’t I enjoy a self massage. If I manage to stick to whatever goal I set for myself a massage is still one of my favourite non-food related rewards to enjoy.
4. Long Weekend Off
I am self-employed. It means work is around me 24/7. I am getting better at switching off over the weekends but not always. To celebrate a goal I will stop work by mid-day Friday and not get back on my computer until Monday morning. I love long weekends.
5. A Personal Trainer for two months (7 stones reward)
At the point I have managed to shed a total of 7 stones (100 lbs) I will book myself a personal trainer for two months who will teach me some new techniques that will hopefully challenge me to keep going.
Why not reward myself with food?
In the past I have rewarded myself with food but I have found that the food I choose is usually unhealthy and once I eat it once I find it difficult to stop.
I no longer see bad food as a reward but instead choose healthier food as a reward. I still eat food that is not good for me (I am still transitioning after all) and so I found that staying away from food as a reward worked to help me stay motivated without hurting my results.
