*Estimated read time is 3 minutes (I love sharing my favorite. This post contains affiliate links that I can make a commission from.)
Ready to have 30 non-food weight loss rewards that won’t sabotage your hard work?
Do you use food as a reward?
Did you do something well or had a hard week and then use food to reward yourself?
It can be hard to untrain yourself to not use food as a reward. This can especially be tricky when you are trying to lose weight.
When are in a culture where treats are constantly used as a reward. We have grown up this way and it is ingrained in us to treat our self to food.
But you can change this!
Why is it important to have a reward for your weight loss journey?
When you put in the hard work of making healthy meals and reaching your fitness goals, it is important to celebrate that! We are so often hard on ourselves and don’t see the successes we are making.
When we start to notice our success whether it is big or small, we start naturally encouraging ourselves and keep our motivation up. So, if you have some weight loss goals then celebrate along the way!
In the video down below we will go over:
The importance of having rewards for your weight loss milestones
The importance of having a non-food weight loss reward as part of living healthy?
Why you should create smaller goals
Our favorite non-food rewards
Check out this chat with my friend Jenn and be inspired to stop using food as a reward whether that is for yourself, your kids, or your grandkids!
Why do people usually go to food as a reward or celebration?
Usually, it starts back in childhood when you were rewarded with food. Think about it? Did your parents reward you with food for getting good grades, winning a game, or just being good?
Then you have all the different holidays you go to that are catered around food, sweets, and desserts. So a lot of these patterns are ingrained into you. It is natural for you to want to celebrate with food when that is what you have done all your whole life.
We live in a culture that does not promote health. So it's really hard to do something different. So I just want you to look back and think about why you use food as a reward. Feel free to take some time, maybe talk with a friend about it.
Work through that and know that there is something else you can do. Just because you have always done something, doesn't mean you can't change. Change is hard but you can do it
Why is it important to have a non-food weight loss reward as part of a healthy lifestyle?
It is important to have the right reward in place as you reach your weight loss goals. When you use food, like a cheat meal, as a reward, you are holding certain foods up on a pedestal and treating them as something special.
You may think that you only deserve a treat if you reach a certain weight or goal. But if you get healthy sustainably and focus on healthy habits, you can add your favorite treats in without them being a reward. How would that feel to have a treat and it doesn’t have to be a reward?
Create rewards for smaller goals
A great way to keep your motivation strong is to have little rewards for smaller goals. When you are developing new habits in your health, it is hard!
So, you want a little positive reinforcement along the way. Small rewards can be great for your weight loss efforts as you focus on healthy living. When I work with clients, we are constantly tracking the small everyday habits that add up to success.
Remember achieving your goals doesn’t happen overnight! But there are so many benchmarks along the way. Especially when it comes to your health and weight loss goals.
Weight loss is not always this straight downhill line. It can be bumpy, so having different things to celebrate along the way can be great motivation.
What should my weight loss goals be?
I also want you to keep in mind that your goal doesn’t have to be just weight loss. You can have goals for staying consistent with your habits.
For example, maybe you can have a goal to work out 5 days a week, and if you do that your reward can be a bath at the end of the week.
So you don’t necessarily have to achieve something, like losing 10 pounds. I think creating goals around staying consistent in your habits is more helpful. It feels better and it is something you can control.
Think about what are some new habits you could have in your life that would be healthy. You could start with a daily step goal or try a new veggie every week.
Favorite non-food rewards
Before you read through the list, I want you to think of things that are tangible rewards and feel like a great reward to you. This is going to be different for everyone. So if getting your nails done is not your thing, that’s okay! We are all different and have different likes. So use this list and pick something out or use the ideas to get the ball rolling in your mind.
Here are some good ideas on nonfood rewards:
Small non-food rewards that are great for short-term goals:
Essential oils (This is one of my favorites right now by Plant Therapy)
New clothes like a new workout outfit (I love Fabetics, I can always get a good deal)
New book (Check out my favorites here)
A new piece of workout equipment like booty bands (Check out my simple home equipment)
Vacation day
Online fitness membership (I gotta say mine is pretty good 😀)
Watch your favorite show
Listen to your favorite music
Kitchen tools like a lemon juicer (Check out my fav’s)
New water bottle
Add to a savings account or special money fund
Piece of jewelry
Nice soap or lotion (I’m loving Herbal Alchemy body bar, it’s pricey but so good)
New makeup (This is my favorite eye shadow)
Lottery ticket
Date night (Think of something you can do, like hikes or listening to music)
Bath night (Add some Epsom salts and essential oil)
A nap
Play a game
Bonfire or solo stove night (P.S. I love my solo stove and how it doesn’t smoke)
Bigger non-food rewards
A new outfit or a new wardrobe
Fitness Tracker or Smartwatch
Online coaching group
High-speed blender (Took me a while to upgrade, but I love this one)
New pair of shoes
Spa day
Weekend getaway
Cooking class
Relaxing massage
Girls weekend
What’s your favorite non-food reward?
Making lifestyle changes is hard! But the only way to do it is to do it! So think of what one great idea for you would be. What reward do you find most motivating?
Write down your goals and habits that you are working on! Put it up where you can see it. Put up that prize or reward you have in mind, so it can stay fresh in your mind. Life is busy and there is so much going on, so if we don’t have visual reminders of new things we are trying to do, we forget about them and prioritize other things.
Do you feel stuck & need support?
Sometimes things are too overwhelming & complicated in life. So, if you need some extra support to figure out all this health stuff, then let’s chat. We don’t live in a world that supports healthy eating and movement, so making changes can be really hard. But don’t feel defeated, you got this!
