The purpose of a reward is to provide motivation and to reinforce positive behaviors. Rewards can plan important role in helping you to stay motivated to eat right and exercise regularly. The reason rewards work is that your brain automatically links an action taken after a behavior to the behavior. So if you just had an excellent workout and immediately after went out and bought the CD you've been wanting, your brain links those positive feelings associated with buying your CD to the workout you have just completed. This motivates you to repeat the behavior. But be careful, because you can reinforce negative behaviors without even knowing it. For example, let's say that you are trying to get into the habit of exercising every other night at 7:00, one night you are all set to go to the gym and an interesting TV show comes on. So you say, ?just this one time, I'll watch the show and skip my workout. It won't hurt, it's only one workout.? Chances are you won't be sticking to your workout schedule much longer. Never underestimate the power of the reward!

Was the best way to reward yourself? If you are trying to lose weight, it is definitely not going to your favorite restaurant. The best way to reward yourself is by doing something that you enjoy doing, but generally don't take the time to do very often. It doesn't have to be expensive. It doesn't have to be elaborate. A reward can be as simple as calling a friend you haven't talked to for a while our reading your favorite magazine. We took a very informal poll recently and asked people what they thought would be a good reward for a month of consistently working out three to five times per week. Here are some of the rewards they mention: buying clothes, going to movie, going to a waterpark, spending a day at a spa, getting a massage, getting a manicure, going to a sporting event, taking a bubble bath, and reading the magazine. You can probably think of a number of things that you enjoy doing, but have trouble finding time to do. These types of activities make great rewards.

How frequently should you set rewards? The answer is as often as you need to. It may take some trial and error to find out what is most effective for you. For some people, a larger reward at the end of the month works best. For others, small daily our weekly rewards seem to keep them motivated. Generally, the sooner after the behavior you reward yourself, the better. So now that you understand why it is important to reward yourself and how to reward yourself, you can experiment today with rewards. Make rewarding yourself the key part of your eating and exercise plans.

by Robert La Loggia Certified Personal Trainer