We all love rewards! We often reward our children for good things they do such as getting good grades, doing their chores, being kind to their siblings, I’ve even overheard moms tell their child they will buy them a candy bar if they are good in the grocery store, and so on; often the reward is food, more precisely candy or other sweet snacks. We reward ourselves in much the same way.

Rewarding ourselves with guilty pleasure foods isn’t the healthy way to reward an accomplishment. Many people turn to food for sorrow as well as reward so when you use the same thing for both, you mix the message that you’re giving your subconcious self.

Find rewards that don’t involve food. Reward yourself with personal time-meditation, a special book, a new scarf or other clothing, get your nails done, see or buy a movie, buy a new cd, take a yoga or other grounding type of class…the options are endless!

Use food as nourishment. Use sweet foods as mind and soul nourishment such as once a week indulgence, your 10% of freedom foods but always keep portion sizes within reason.

When you turn to food as rewards you often end up feeling self-defeated. When you reward yourself with time or objects other than food, you find deeper appreciation for what you have accomplished.

Think about a goal that you’re working at to reach and decide on the reward you will give yourself once you reach it. Set small goals more often and get great results and fun rewards!