Today's Small Change: Pat yourself on the back.

[Guest guest]

Thursday March 06, 2008Welcome to today's edition of Healthy Living

with Ellie Krieger.

Today's Small Change: Pat yourself on the back.

The Right Rewards Inquiring members want to know: How can you sustain your

motivation to follow a healthy lifestyle? Whether you're trying to lose 50

pounds or want to maintain your weight but be more active, rewarding yourself

can help. Rewards give you something to look forward to — a reason to push

ahead — as well as positive reinforcement so you'll continue your hard work.

It's important to choose the right rewards — those that help you move in the

right direction rather than away from your goals. For example, if you stayed on

track all week, don't reward yourself on Saturday with a big banana split.

Instead, try to come up with a reward that helps you feel good about yourself

and your accomplishment and that doesn't involve food. That's what

jakeandhannahsmom, a member of Healthy Living With Ellie, did when she was

trying to lose 85 pounds. Here's what she said on the Message Boards: " I tried

to do five pounds at a time and then treat myself to something that

wasn't food, such as a manicure. " Find that special reward that works for

you. Perhaps you'd enjoy a subscription to your favorite magazine as a reward,

or a new outfit to show off your weight loss. How about giving yourself extra

time on the greens or a cool new gizmo for your computer/TV/DVD/stereo? Almost

everyone can use a little extra " me time, " too — which is a great reward.

Because you know yourself best, you are the person who should decide on your

reward. It can be nearly anything (just not food), as long as it's something you

enjoy that will motivate you to move forward!

I'm not going to vacuum 'til Sears makes one you can ride on.