Treat Yourself – But Don’t Defeat Yourself

Treating or rewarding ourselves for our hard work from time to time is not necessarily a bad thing...

However, HOW we do it is often counter productive to our goals. We “treat” ourselves by indulging in the exact activity or behavior that we are working to limit or change.

Didn’t spend any extra income on non-essentials this month?

Treat yourself to a whole new expensive outfit or a shopping trip.  

Stuck to your diet all week?

Treat yourself to a pizza and an ice cream sundae. Maybe even an extra snack before bed, you earned it! Good habits are hard to form and very easy to break.

So what we sometimes view as one “cheat day” or “treat day” can actually work against us when we try to get back into our healthy routine the next day.

Now that is not to say don’t treat yourself! The challenge is to treat yourself without indulging or defeating yourself.

In order to do this – you have to have a plan.

If you are sticking to a healthy diet all week and want one day to add a treat, plan ahead what that treat will be. If your treat will be an indulgent meal, plan to stick to your diet for the other two meals of the day and determine ahead of time what portion you will consume of your “treat meal.”

If you want to reward yourself with dessert – choose the healthiest version of that dessert that you can find and also determine your portion size prior to indulging. Or choose a fruit dessert for natural sweetness!

I love _______ (example: ice cream). So, when I “treat” myself, I want to do so without feeling guilty. By planning ahead when I will treat myself and how much I will consume, I avoid overindulging and impulsive decision making.

You deserve to treat yourself! And you deserve to do it in a way that will not defeat yourself. And there are also so many ways to treat yourself without consuming or spending!

• Treat yourself to a bubble bath with a good book.
• Treat yourself to a hot cup of tea, a soft blanket, comfy clothes, and your favorite movie without feeling lazy.
• Treat yourself to a healthy meal out as a reward for preparing healthy food all week.

The possibilities are endless!