“Make Each Step Count” Community Challenge – Week 6

Hot dang! We made it to the grand finale! It’s time for you all to do a (large) happy dance and celebrate your success! There’s something so dang awesome about being able to take a step back and focus on the great things you’ve accomplished. I think there’s also something very powerful in noticing the great “non-scale” victories you may be experiencing – more energy, feeling stronger, greater endurance, happier, higher self-esteem and less stress, just to name a few!

Many times, we don’t take the time to celebrate our successes, but I think it’s important to be proud of your efforts and to be able to recognize the milestone in your health journey that you’ve crossed. What a better way to feel GREAT about yourself and everything you’ve done!

So… with that being said, how do you celebrate your fitness successes?

Coming up with a meaningful reward that you would like to receive that continues to tie in with health can be motivating and a fun way to celebrate what you achieved. Ideas for this may include new workout gear and an outfit, a mini-vacation or day trip, something pampering (massage, mani/pedi, etc.), a new book, or gym/class pass. These rewards will continue to reinforce your positives habits and health benefits that were achieved.

One reward I do discourage is a food or alcohol award – it’s not that you don’t deserve to celebrate your successes, but doesn’t it seem a bit silly to reward your hard work and dedication with something that could sabotage your efforts? Now, certainly there is NOTHING wrong with an occasional glass of wine, chocolate desert or even a night out with friends (Pandemic-safe), however; celebrating with habits you may have been trying to change could derail progress.

After your big reward/mini-vacation/massage/shopping trip, you may be wondering, “Uhh… ok, I have had this challenge to help keep me motivated, what the heck do I do now?” It can be easy to think “I’m going to take a breather”, but that might affect your motivation and we also hope that you have engrained these habits into your life and this is a perfect opportunity to continue your health journey.

Here are a few tips for keeping motivation after the Make Each Step Count Challenge:

• GOALS
  • Just like you did for this challenge, sit down and set another exercise goal. Maybe this goal will be longer (8, 10, 12 weeks) or it will be to train for an event/race, but whatever you decide, make sure it’s SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-Bound). Ooh! Don’t forget to include that reward for when you achieve it!
• REFLECT
  • Taking time to look back over the last few weeks can help you decide what you want to achieve the next go-around, what you liked and what to continue with your previous goals and successes, and even what you struggled with and how you can overcome this with a plan for the next time through. 
• BUDDY SYSTEM
  • I’m a firm believer that exercise is WAY more fun when you have a buddy/friend/spouse – it helps with accountability, makes time go REALLY fast and is something you can both do together and work towards together. 
• SCHEDULE
  • Much of motivation is feeling in control of what you want to accomplish and this comes from planning and scheduling. Schedule time for setting your goals, to reflect, make a plan and of course, the actual work/workouts to achieve that goal! When something is scheduled, it’s much harder to make an excuse or find something to get in the way. 
• FUN
  • Fitness should be FUN and something you look forward to (ok.. most of the time). Branch out and hold onto the activities you enjoy the most and get excited about – it will make doing them that much easier! 

Celebrating your success is importing to give yourself the credit for the work done, to build self-esteem and to feel good about the health-benefits you gave yourself. Take the time to give yourself a pat on the back and to continue with your healthy journey – you’re worth it!

A. (2018, April 18). Celebrating Your Fitness Success. Retrieved April 12, 2021, from https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/fitness/staying-motivated/celebrating-your-fitness-success