You might think, “This is great, but how do I stay motivated long enough to see change?” I have one word for you–rewards. Before you scoff and let me know your thoughts on participation trophies, bear with me for a few minutes.
Rewards don’t have to be big or expensive. They work better when they occur as closely as possible to the activity you want to encourage. For example, if you have a favorite show or podcast, you can save it for your exercise time, which can be a great reward. Another idea is to pay yourself for every time you do your habit. Then you can spend the money on something you would like but wouldn’t usually buy yourself.
The other key thing about rewards is that you want to tie them to the action, not the outcome. The outcome is too far in the future, and multiple variables can interfere. For example, research indicates that exercise alone is good for us, whether or not we lose weight. So, by rewarding exercise, we are still rewarding something that will improve our health. Eating vegetables is the same way.
This week’s challenge is to think of rewards you like and ways to link them to your changes. I’ll be interested to hear your thoughts, especially on the vegetables. 😉