Rewards for Reaching Goals

How do you reward yourself for reaching weight loss/fitness goals?

In the past when I've set goals, I always had trouble with rewards.

I don't want to reward with new clothes, because I plan on continuing to shrink!

I don't want to reward with food because I'm trying to get out of the mindset that food=reward.

So, I've decided to set some short term goals, and make a list of things that I would like to reward myself with.

GOALS By the end of January:

• 90 second plank
• 10 push--ups
• 30 minutes on elliptical HIIT without dying :)
• 35% body fat (I'm at 40% right now and OUCH, does that hurt!!!  I'm not sure how attainable this is, in 2 1/2 weeks but I need to start somewhere!)

Reward:  Hair Cut!  (I haven't had a professional hair cut since... my 40th birthday a year and a half ago!  I always cut it myself, but right now it looks crappy)

Future Reward Ideas:
Take a burlesque fitness class
Take a pole dance fitness class
Buy a new workout dvd/set (T-Tapp is one I really want, Insanity, etc.)

I got my new body fat analyzer today. At his request, I got my 17 year old son's results and said, "Well, that's pretty good..."

"For a GIRL"

He just laughed, but as I was walking back to the living room when he yelled out, "Wait! A HOT girl?"

Lol.

Trying not to get down. Fitspiration for Me

So I'm going on almost TWO WEEKS of having to basically sit still all day long.  I'm about to scream.  Or cry.  Or pull my hair out.

First I had a pulled muscle in my back.  After a week of sitting, I felt healed, so I did some squats.  Just a few each time I got up to use the bathroom.... and by that evening, I was in AGONY.  I had apparently strained something.  That was last Friday.  Now its Thursday and I'm STILL stuck in this recliner.  I still need help getting out of it!

In addition to sitting around all day, I can't even sleep in my own bed.  I've been crashing on the couch because our memory foam mattress is too... 'clingy' and it is nearly impossible for me to roll over or even get out of bed without intense pain.

So, I sit here, knowing that the small amount of time I was able to spend in the gym before this is just fading away and I'm going to have to start over.

My biggest challenge, as usual, is trying to stay positive and not beat myself up.

I think that will be my biggest challenge throughout this whole journey.  Even more so than giving up the sugar and alcohol, even more than sticking with the fitness aspect.  Just staying positive, not beating myself up and picturing myself as a worthy, capable person.

(source) Christine Case

Christine Case's transformation story really stood out to me!  I need to post this woman's photo and quotes in my house!  Look at her!!!  She is amazing!

So, I've been keeping up by learning even more about fitness, reading everything I can get my hands on, making a workout plan and putting a lot of planning into action.

Share with me... what motivates you!

Next week I will be well enough to upload my first healthy cooking video.  Let me know what type of recipes you'd like to see!

Day #8-9 of my Awesome Transformation: OUCH!!! Sidelined!!!

Damn it!

Good News:  As of this morning, the Scale is moving DOWN!  I need to weigh at the gym to be sure, but my (somewhat out of whack) scale at home is down more than 5 pounds since last Monday!!!  I actually can't wait to measure tomorrow!

Bad News:  I was tooling around yesterday, being productive around the house.  I almost had the laundry caught up and I was in on my bed, pulling off the fitted sheet... I had just stepped up on the mattress and K came up behind me to scare me, just as I pulled and twisted just *wrong* and I felt a 'pull' in my back.


At the time I thought, "oops, that is going to hurt!" but I had NO IDEA how bad it was going to be. OUCH.  HOLY SHITBALLS!!!  

Last night I sat in my freezing cold room with an ice pack on my back for two hours and it was still hurting.

This morning I could barely get out of bed it hurt so bad.  Walking, sitting, standing, adjusting myself on the couch = HUGE AMOUNTS OF PAIN.  Damn it.

So much for working out.  Before I actually tried to move this morning, I was thinking, "Oh, I can still go to the gym, I'll just work out my shoulders and arms or something.  I'll just avoid using my back/core.  Um... No.  I feel a huge strain on my back doing ANYTHING.  &#$(@*^&)@#^$%#&@_$#  I was doing SO WELL.

Surely this will be better SOON, right?  I really wanted to enter the www.bodybuilding.com contest for body transformations.  I guess you can enter between now and January 31... I want to do this.  You don't have to buy anything to enter, so why not?  I could use the extra motivation!!!  Now, to see if Patrick is up for helping me *that* much!

What do you do for motivation?  What do you do to get past an injury?  I'm trying not to beat myself or be frustrated with myself for being so easily injured.  This is the last year that I am going to let myself be weak and out of shape.  From here on out, I am going to be the "Beast" that my son thinks I am!!!