Reward ideas that aren't food or money based?

25lbsorbust

All of my rewards ARE money or food-based. I can't think of anything that's not other than having a friend over and watching tv and not letting them eat or drink anything!

nathan_haveagoodday

My favorite reward I came up with was shaving my beard off. I had not seen what my face looked like without facial hair in six years. It was a treat seeing myself in a new perspective. It has almost grown all the way back now (way too much work to shave everyday).

So my suggestion is to change something about your appearance or environment to serve as a visual cue or reminder of a goal or success. Change the scent of the shampoo you use after a certain milestone. Give yourself the good spot in the garage. Switch the forks and the spoons in the silverware drawer so every time you grab the wrong utensil you can smile and go "hell yeah. I've lost XX pounds this year".

lorrpb

Even food costs money.

pondee629

I don't understand how meeting one's goal(s) isn't the reward. I'm assuming, of course, that the goal was set because it was something the setter wanted. If you wanted something, and got it, isn't that something the reward? This is especially true if that something could have been obtained only through hard work.

The goal is the reward, don't trivialize it by "needing" something else.
i.e. "I finally got into that article of clothing I've been trying to get into for months, give me a piece of cake as a reward"? Has it become that materialistic of a world?

laur357

Maybe not free, but not terribly expensive.
Meet a friend for a matinee movie, or go to a drive-in
Do a physical activity that you usually don't do, go with a friend for added fun - go ice skating, roller skating, bowling, hike in a new park, mini-golf, sled riding
Trip to a museum or gallery crawl - we have free and 'pay what you wish' nights at various times throughout the year
Host a few friends for a bonfire or game night (sure, food is often involved, but not necessarily the focus. And keep it cheap by going potluck style)
Join a MeetUp group you think is interesting (might need to spend a few $ here and there if MeetUps take place a coffee shop or something)
Save a TV series or movie you really want to see until you hit your goal (more delayed gratification)

Lizzy622

Netflix binge. I know someone who had a favorite show but she would only let herself watch it for as much time as she exercised that day.

Neanbean13

Everytime u hot a goal burn article of your 'past' clothes or something that reminds you of bad habits of the past. Prob not inside...health n safety n all that. Or donate it to charity

ldowdesw

A day off from all chores... Ooh I'd love that.. Or tidy and try on everything in your wardrobe. Xx

BodyzLanguage

How about just being satisfied with your achievement? Why the need to reward for everything little thing geez.

IILikeToMoveItMoveIt

When I first started out, I was very motivated with rewards. I hit a lot of goals and did some neat stuff. I have noticed now though, my needs have changed a bit I guess. Instead of buying a new pearl necklace because I PR'd my bench press weight, I find a natural reward in my new goal of breaking my PR's. That's just how it happened for me...
Setting up rewards is great and you'll figure out something, if it's not a set yourself up to fail kinda thing because of too many rewards stipulations... Hope you find something awesome!

Alidecker

I used to buy myself new music when I lost weight, then I did the dollar in a jar for every workout I did. I can't think of anything that didn't cost any money. The money in the jar was more just to make me save money for new clothes...I may need to start that again.

kchartinc

Hmm, that's tough. My current reward for myself is that I am going to buy myself a new bike and not feel bad about it! But a no cost goal of mine is to go jogging with just capris and a sports bra. That's mostly a confidence thing, but as I gain strength and lean out more, I'm hoping I'll then have the confidence to go out there and do it! So pick a confidence thing perhaps?

cee134

I feel like rewarding myself shouldn't involve food or money. But I can't think of anything that doesn't cost at least alittle money.

cimarrona27

I set a mini goal and once I get there I am going to go through all of my clothes and donate what does not fit me. I have smaller sizes (pre baby and diabetes) in storage. It will be a huge reward to be able to get them out.

For me it's every 10-15 pounds- milestones of my weight gain. Like pre-pregnancy weight, wedding weight, college weight. I put it on in steps and plan to work backwards from here.

jgnatca

Well then @cee134 you should hold off until you find the perfectly clean reward.

goldthistime

My rewards were:

More mirror time
Looser clothing
Boxed up clothing that had been too small
Less breathlessness on stairs and on the courts
Feeling healthier and more energetic
Increased confidence

Most of those were more valuable to me than something purchased.

Have some faith in yourself. Stick to this and you will be rewarded.

kiela64

I personally suck at rewards. If I know I really CAN have something, telling myself I CANT have it until I do X will not get me to do X. I'll just obsess about the thing and probably have it anyway. I've rarely used food as a reward because of that (I'll just eat it, no point), unless I literally Could Not Have It until I did the thing, eg getting out of the house (which is in and of itself fairly terrible bc what food can't you have until you get out? hint: it's fast) although I have bought myself small presents after a hard semester eg. a cute mug it was never premeditated.

What I'm more interested in are soothing things to replace food in emotional periods. Reminding myself how nice a bath might be instead of [food item], how maybe it's time to wash my hair and maybe it's my itchy scalp making me antsy? why don't we check? How nice I feel after a 30min walk listening to some music.

Relaxation could still be a type of reward - who doesn't want an hour of time to themselves with no tasks in it? You don't have to go to a spa to do spa-like things at home - a bath, a face mask, do your own manicure (polish or no it's still nice to pamper yourself a bit, nice nails and skin are good for everyone regardless of gender).

You could easily reward yourself with entertainment - if you have movies or a Netflix account, or a library (free books! free movies! so many free things! libraries are great! and FREE!!!!). A short story book could be good here - a new little story every time you do a thing. One of those adult colouring books? It really depends on your interests and what works for you, I think.

jgnatca

@kae612 I am very much like you. If I obsess over the reward it kills the whole point, doesn't it? I roll with the punches better these days. If I'm craving something, I go have it...in a controlled, reasonable portion.

Duhigg's book on Habit and Haidt's concept of the Rider and the Elephant really helped me get a handle on how to treat my inner hedonist.

kylohart

Crazy idea if you're a woman...
Only shave your legs when you can reward yourself.

pondee629

BodyzLanguage wrote: »

How about just being satisfied with your achievement? Why the need to reward for everything little thing geez.

Again, why isn't reaching the goal the reward? Why would it be the goal if it isn't the reward? Healthier body, smaller clothes, feeling better about yourself, ability to leap tall buildings in a single bound. All pretty rewarding. Why, after I've achieved what I have been working for (attaining my goal) would I need anything else?

kiela64

jgnatca wrote: »

@kae612 I am very much like you. If I obsess over the reward it kills the whole point, doesn't it? I roll with the punches better these days. If I'm craving something, I go have it...in a controlled, reasonable portion.

Duhigg's book on Habit and Haidt's concept of the Rider and the Elephant really helped me get a handle on how to treat my inner hedonist.

@jgnatca Thank you for sharing that PDF! I will go through it, perhaps it will be useful for me as well. It's good to know my mindset isn't too bizarre, I've read a lot about how useful it is to set rewards, and every time I see it I dismiss it immediately because it's just...not how my mind works at all lol.