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HABITS FRIDAY: Instant Rewards

Thulz ❤️

I just wrote a blog on how I plan to keep myself on track for the last days of March by using instant rewards so I thought to open up a conversation here.
One of the reasons good habits are hard to instill is because they are usually linked to long term goals while bad habits produce an instant reward most times in the form of a jolt of dopamine.

I wondered what sort of things you'd consider tracking or implementing as immediate rewards especially when the weight loss appears to be going slow?
I'll go first in the comments

  Thulz ❤️ Replied:

I'm very motivated by numbers as proxy for what's going on internally with my health and also while I'm still working to lose enough weight to actually see physical differences.

So I was very excited to see my sleeping heart rate dipping from 80 to 67 last night and my heart rate variability increase because for last night my body actually went into rest and restoration instead of being in distress. I normally wake myself up in a pool of sweat and my heart racing.
Not last night

  Sandy Replied:

That's a great change Thulz. Good for you. I chart my weight, workouts, steps, no wine days.... anything that shows I accomplished something. I chart my sleep too. It's important to keep me on track.

  Jeanne- CE! Replied:

I get a positive jolt if I practice music, listen to music, stretch, bounce on rebounder to music, breathe deeply, plan and prep healthy meals, spend time with furfam, read things that feed my soul or make me laugh, send and receive hilarious or joyful memes and gifs, or get outdoors: aka the things that make my heart sing; as little as five minutes helps. I had a day this week where I was dead tired and disappointed that it was close to the end of the day and I had not fit in a proper workout or music practice. I practiced for about ten minutes and stretched for about five minutes. My energy and vibe level rose almost instantly.

I track weight, food, water, stretching and moving, deep breathing, music practice, and rest/down time; on Saturdays review my mission statement and on Sundays assess my DOing and BEing of the week, and how my choices contributed to how I feel spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

  Lyn❤️💛💚💙💜 Replied:

Well, my fitbit obviously tracks all my important stats but I have made a physical calendar where I input all those stats as well as if I had a green/yellow/red day. I put my water and exercise too and it helps me see the correlation between what I did the day before and what my sleep was like or resting heart rate and how that translates to a loss or gain. When I stop filling out my calendar it typically means I'm off track. It's been eye opening to see it all linked together day to day.

  Thulz ❤️ Replied:

Oh man I love everything you guys shared!

And reading some of your stuff reminded me of others that I do for the same reason.
And I think we can continue just adding to this list whenever we feel like because the more we have, the better we stack the odds in our favour and the more compelling it becomes to stay the course. Have many reasons...

You guys just reminded me of the wellness tracker I fill out every morning as part of my journaling practice which also has a very stabilizing effect for me. And when I bring out the green pen, I know it's about to be lit!

Jeanne, you got this nailed. Your rewards list is so stacked and I daresay that is one of the reasons going off track does not hold that much appeal to you. Your wellness is pretty much habit!

The opinions expressed on this forum may not represent the opinions of StartYourDiet.com. Please consult your physician to determine the weight, nutrition and exercise levels that are best for you.