Get Fit Friday: Incentive Ideas

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