I have found several exercises that I like, but most days I still want to play hooky. So, I was thinking of getting myself a small reward (something I can only have after I exercise). Of course it can't be food, that would defeat the purpose. I already have a a "goal dress" for when I lose a big amount of weight, but I want something that will give me that instant gratification feel, without it being super expensive or bad for me.
I reward myself monetarily. I attach an amount of money to a 30 minute block. Then, for every 30 minutes I exercise, I give myself that amount of money and put it in an envelope. At the end of the month, I open the envelope and spend whatever it is. For me, it's a dollar for every 30 minutes. So if I did 30 minutes, six days a week, I have about twenty-four bucks. But if I did some longer days, etc., I've had more. It sounds silly, but it feels great to be able to "pay" myself every day for something that makes me healthy.
I use music. Music is a passion for me and I often buy 2-4 albums a month, plus a few individual songs here and there.
So, when I feel I need discipline, I tie music purchases to those things I have to do for myself that it's difficult to motivate myself to do - going to the gym, making it through a restaurant meal without making a single bad choice, reaching a milestone weight.
It's not really an extra expense because if I weren't on this plan at all I probably would have bought the music anyway. But tying the purchase to the good choice (and conversely, delaying the purchase if I don't make the good choice!) allows me to convert the delayed gratification of staying on my plan to the instant gratification of having new music.
If you have room in your budget for this kind of reward, it's not a bad way to go.
I reward myself monetarily. I attach an amount of money to a 30 minute block. Then, for every 30 minutes I exercise, I give myself that amount of money and put it in an envelope. At the end of the month, I open the envelope and spend whatever it is. For me, it's a dollar for every 30 minutes. So if I did 30 minutes, six days a week, I have about twenty-four bucks. But if I did some longer days, etc., I've had more. It sounds silly, but it feels great to be able to "pay" myself every day for something that makes me healthy.
Great ideas! I especially liked the money idea. I was thinking of maybe getting something for the bath, like bath salt, or masks or something like that, because I always look forward to soaking after a workout.
I don't usually set rewards for myself, because they actually distract me from the effort of weightloss. But I do have one lined up... when I get to Onderland, I'm finally going to get the tattoo I've had planned for years. I'll finally be at a weight where I don't think my skin will stretch or shrink too much further.
Exercise Rewards
I was thinking of maybe getting something for the bath, like bath salt, or masks or something like that, because I always look forward to soaking after a workout.
