Say hello to my little charms.

Almost since I started out getting healthier, I have struggled with the whole rewards thing. I’ve gone from saying that I don’t need rewards whatsoever, to giving them a go, to tyring to figure out what would work for me anyway.

For a long time, I have worked without them. Frankly, I was too busy trying to figure out a multitude of other things to sit down and figure out how to reward myself. But after a talk with my psych about rewards and how they really can be beneficial to helping one accomplish any goal, I decided to rethink the situation.

I’d tried books, gift cards, magazines and other stuff before, but I never had a reward that really stuck with me. The magazine was read, the gift card spent, so on and so forth. I’ve struggled to find anything that I would find both rewarding and encouraging.

I sat back and looked at myself. Not always a pretty prospect but valuable nonetheless. With the kind of person I am, I needed something fun and pretty to keep me attracted. But I also needed something permanent – not a book I would read and be done with or something that would be spent and gone. Whatever ‘it’ was, it needed to stick with me.

And, knowing me, (here’s the not so pretty part), I needed it to be in my face as much as possible. I get distracted. I get emotional. My head often has one or more cast of characters for whatever novel I’m working on in it. Being healthy isn’t always first on my plate. However, having a visual reminder either on my desk or on my body would have it right there nearly all the time.

Taking that all into account, I came to getting a charm bracelet with charms and beads to mark my progress. It’s pretty and fun, something permanent, something that marks my progress and something that will almost always be within my eyesight.

You might think that buying all the charms first up might take away the pleasure, but I don’t get to wear the charms until I reach the corresponding goal. That is enough to keep me going and working toward the next mark.

In the end, I’m quite proud of myself. It took some time and self-examination, but I think I have come up with something that will prove to be a good motivation.

Now only .8 lbs to go until I reach my first goal…

PS. These charms are the ohm symbol and the hamsa. Combined for strength, serenity, peace and protection.

When it comes to staying motivated to lose weight, there is no doubt that rewards can be the thing that keep you going when you would rather not.

…I have a hard time picking out rewards.

Next Monday I’m going to be ‘back on the horse’ in a stricter way with planned menus and a notebook to keep track of not only the menu but water, weight and exercise as well. (I already have started getting it ready to go.)

In the beginning of the notebook, I have a rewards page to help me get motivated. The problem is coming up with rewards. What do I want that I will still want in ten pounds? Twenty pounds down?

It feels like whining about such a silly thing, but rewards really are a motivation for me.

Now if I could just figure out the best motivations…