Rewards...

Blueberry pie can be made in a healthy way, but it is still a treat and should be enjoyed on special occasions, not daily…

I have a few thoughts of rewards that I’d like to raise today. I see a trend of a rewarding system in our welfare society that, in my opinion, isn’t either healthy nor to our benefit long term. I’d say it’s a result of the social media, where the people that influence us constantly trigger our minds that to thought like “he/she really leads the good life, I deserve that too”. This is of course true, you do deserve a good life, the problem is; the pictures and “reality” of the people we look up to is not, in fact, reality.

This slightly distorted trend to constantly reward yourself with thoughts like "Now that I've trained, I can treat myself a muffin" or "today I have worked so hard and stressed so much that I deserve a pizza" is not a healthy system. Don’t get me wrong, rewarding yourself is great and something I encourage, just not every day and not with food primarily. Or rather, sure, you can treat yourself with unhealthy food every day, but you cannot at the same time expect that you won’t feel progressively worse and gain weight. That is a formula that just don’t add up.

I do believe in the reward system. We just have to find, or learn to see and appreciate, alternative rewards. It is a reward to take the time to exercise. It is a reward to experience nature on horseback. It can be a reward to train for a particular trainer, or treat yourself to something new. In all my programs I tell my client; first we set a goal and establish your reason for this goal, then we decide what reward you will get when you reach that goal. Some clients reward themselves with some new clothes, some want go on a holiday trip or a spa weekend with their husband or best friend.

When I talk to my customers about how and what they eat, I often find that many people actually eat relatively well. For a change to occur, you have to change something, of course, but the change can be made on different levels and a little at a time, then you have a greater chance of keeping your new routines long term. Sudden changes will give quick response, but the body also returns relatively quickly if you are not smart with the changes.

So with all this said, please reflect a little on your reward system. If your reward yourself too often, the bar is raised constantly and you will think something that used to be a special occasion a year ago is now an everyday routine. Not a good trend, not for your health and not for your wallet. Nor for your feeling of satisfaction to be honest.

Have a great day everyone!

xxx

Raw ball made with love. So delicious! PM for recipe.