50 Non-Food Rewards for Fitness and Weight Loss

Losing weight and maintaining healthy habits are both challenging, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't also be rewarding. Besides the intrinsic benefits that come from feeling better and reaching new goals, rewarding yourself for your healthy efforts will reinforce your new habits and inspire you to continue your journey.

There are lots of effective and motivating ways to reward yourself (both large and small), but first you need to come up with a system. One easy solution is to tie rewards to fitness minutes rather than weight loss alone. Start by choosing a target that is challenging but not unreachable. For example, give yourself a reward if you reach 600 fitness minutes in a month.

Years ago, I created my own reward system that had two components: one to reward healthy behaviors, which are the only things you can truly control, and another to mark weight-loss progress. You can use this list for ideas and customize it however you wish to fit your own goals.

To mark my weight-loss progress, I bought an old-fashioned silver charm bracelet and added a new charm for every 10 pounds I lost. I chose charms with symbolic meaning to remind me of my journey and all my hard work. For example, because walking helped me drop the first 10 pounds, I chose a silver sneaker. When I got halfway to my goal weight, I chose a tiny pair of scissors.

50 Non-Food Reward Ideas

Almost anything can work as a reward as long as it fits into your budget and doesn't undermine your efforts. Food does undermine your efforts, so always choose ways to reward yourself that don't involve eating. What works as a reward should be inspiring to you; otherwise, it won't compel you to stick to your program. Here are 50 ideas to get you started (arranged from least expensive or time-consuming to most):

• Give yourself permission to take a nap.
• Visit the library or bookstore all by yourself.
• Have a guilt-free home spa afternoon.
• Sleep in!
• Take a selfie to celebrate your progress.
• Spend an hour away from your phone or computer.
• Eat lunch outside or at least away from your desk.
• Clean out your closet and donate all your too-big clothes to charity.
• Post your progress on social media so your friends can celebrate with you.
• Take a bubble bath.
• Drive to a beautiful neighborhood or park to walk instead of taking your usual walking route.
• Use smiley face or star stickers to note milestones on a wall calendar hung in a prominent place.
• Make your own ribbon or trophy.
• Make or buy a refrigerator magnet with a motivational quote.
• Take a vacation day from work to do whatever you want!
• Unwind with a movie of your choice.
• Plan a night out with your friends.
• Buy a lottery ticket.
• Subscribe to a fitness or healthy cooking magazine.
• Get a new driver's license photo. (Don't lie about your weight.)
• Download a new fitness app for your phone.
• Buy a new workout song.
• Get yourself a bottle of fancy shower gel or lotion.
• Pick up a new plant for your garden.
• Invest in some moisture-wicking workout socks.
• Get fitted for a new sports bra.
• Try a new shade of nail polish.
• Get some new shades for outdoor exercise.
• Come home with a bouquet of flowers.
• Try a fresh hair color.
• Buy a small personal blender for smoothies and protein shakes.
• Order a pair of high-end wireless headphones.
• Invest is a fitness tracker to motivate you even more.
• Sign up for a charity walk or running event.
• Splurge on some nice yoga pants.
• Go for a mani/pedi.
• Treat yourself to a massage!
• Take a cooking class to up your game.
• Get a new hairstyle.
• Get fitted for workout shoes at a running store.
• Go for a flashy piercing or tattoo!
• Start a charm bracelet.
• Get your rings resized to fit your smaller fingers.
• Plan a weekend getaway with your significant other.
• Adopt a dog so you'll always have a walking buddy.
• Hire someone to clean your house so you have more time to hit the gym.
• Try a fun exercise class like Zumba or pole fitness.
• Book a session with a personal trainer.
• Schedule a professional portrait shoot.
• Two words: dream vacation!

There are countless ways to reward yourself, and while it may seem trivial, research shows that rewards that are personal to us do in fact help us stay motivated and establish long-term habits. It's worth the time to come up with a system and a list of rewards for your own milestones!