Sorry, I didn’t get Get Fit Friday posted on Friday! :)

By now you’ve probably organized your goals, objectives to meet those goals, and have been resolving to work out more and more each week, but have you given much thought to your incentives?  Dictionary.com defines incentive as: (1) noun- something that incites or tends to incite to action or greater effort, as a reward offered for increased productivity. (2) adjective-inciting, as to action; stimulating; provocative.

Incentives can be a crucial part of your workout plan.  They keep you going right when you’re ready to give up.  They  may as simple as spending a day at home in your pajamas or they may require more planning like a family vacation.  Some people enjoy having frequent incentives to stay motivated, others only need them on occasion.  My suggestion is to experiment with your incentives.  If you’re tracking your exercising you may want to schedule these rewards so you can stick to them.

When creating incentives for yourself keep your overall goals in mind.  It wouldn’t make a lot of sense to over-eat as a  reward for eating well all week, and you also won’t feel so great if you put yourself in a financial hole to splurge on something.  Unless you have the calories or money to give, keep it simple.  It really depends on personal motivators.

Some ideas I have for incentives:

• Take a day to do whatever you want
• Write a list of reasons why you want to get fit, check one off after each workout
• Sleep in
• Get a Mani/Pedi
• Buy new socks, shoes, etc.
• Run in a tank top or sport bra
• Sign up for an incentive program at your gym or group exercise class
• Schedule a fun activity like playing a sport or rock climbing
• Train for a 5k, mini-marathon, or marathon
• Organize a beach volleyball game
• Spend a day at the spa or get a back rub from your spouse

What keeps you going?  Please share…

Add Overhead Tricep Extensions:

Get Fit Items:

• FitnessFatLoss.com- Free Fitness Blog
• The Great Balancing Act – Free Fitness Blog
• Free MP3 Downloads on Amazon- $0
• Iron Gym Total Upper Body Workout Bar -$19.99
• Jillian Michaels Ultimate Weighted Calf Sleeves – $19.97