How Do You Reward Yourself
“I had a bad day at work. I really deserve some ice cream.”
“I worked out every day this week. I’m going to celebrate by going out for pizza this weekend.”
And the one I have even used…“I just ran a half marathon. I can eat whatever the hell I want.”
Why do we think that rewarding ourselves means gorging ourselves with crap that will, at some point, make us feel bad about ourselves? Bad day, good day, celebration, whatever = FOOD. What we forget about this equation is FOOD AS A REWARD = REGRET.
“I busted my butt in the gym and I just destroyed all that hard work by eating a box of cookies.”
“I finally finished that 2 week, no sleep, 80 hours a week project at work and we celebrated with drinks and a huge dinner. Now, not only am I still exhausted, but I feel like crap.”
Guess what? How about trying a reward that will not only make you feel good, but make you feel good about yourself. Have a day where you checked everything off your to do list or your boss gave you one too many things to add to the “due now” list? Reward yourself with a relaxing bath, quiet time with a book or a killer workout where you clear your mind of all of the stress. Did you meet your workout goals or finally complete that one thing you thought you’d never finish? Buy yourself a super cute purse, purchase new workout clothes or celebrate by trying a fun activity like rock climbing lessons. How awesome would it be to celebrate your new, fitter body by challenging it to a fresh look and a new style of exercise? Look good and feel good while working out – THAT’S MY KIND OF REWARD! So, this Holiday Season ask yourself: What would I rather have cling to my ass? A nice pair of jeans that will show off all of my hard work in the gym OR all of the cookies, cakes and pie that tasted great for a whole 5 minutes but eventually made me feel like crap?
