Fitness Motivation and Incentives

Anyone who has begun...and ended...a fitness program has faced the inevitable struggle with keeping motivated to stay with the program. Often - especially when just starting out - it is hard to focus on the long-term goals and benefits such as better health, increased energy, more self-esteem and increased strength and stamina.

One way of motivating yourself to keep up with a fitness program is to give yourself rewards upon reaching certain goals. One way to keep track of your progress and goals is to give yourself points and keep a "scorecard" of your wellness activities. The ARNGRC developed a point system for one of its health programs and we've adapted it here for your use.

Instructions
Point totals are maintained in the scorecard for your own benefit, so if you cheat, you only cheat yourself! Record activity points by Wellness Category. Maintain point totals on a cumulative basis. Set a start date and an end date. Keeping track of your progress on a month-by-month basis is a good way to do this. When you reach a certain number of points representing the goals you set, then give yourself a reward. Buy a new jogging outfit or training shoes. Go see a movie - money saved by cutting back on cigarettes can be used to buy the tickets. Take a day off from exercise and housework! How you reward yourself is up to you. Just keep it healthy and be honest with yourself about your results.

Example
For the last year, Jane has exercised (stair master and Nautilus) three days a week; she practices meditation/yoga twice a week and attends weekly religious services; she doesn't smoke; she is not overweight; she drives defensively, always wears a seat belt and her home has smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Jane began her fitness program on 21 September. Jane's cumulative point total for the month of September is:

Date	Fitness	Stress Mgmt	Lifestyle	Nutrition/Wt	Safety	Point Total
9/21	2				1	3
9/22		1				4
9/23	2				1	7
9/24		1				8
9/25	2				1	11
9/27		1				12
9/28	2				1	15
9/29		1				16
9/30	2		5*	5**	11***	39
*5 points for 1 month not smoking
**5 points for maintaining weight at recommended level for 1 month
***10 of 11 points for wearing seat belt (5 points/mo), smoke & carbon monoxide detectors (2 points/mo) and obeying road signs (3 points/mo)

Download Your Scorecard here (PDF 55K)

Journal
It may also help to keep a journal of your progress. You can keep your scorecard and point ratings system in your journal for a complete record of your fitness progress. Maintain your wellness journal to record your Fitness workouts (e.g., time to complete run/walk/bicycle ride, weight training reps, heart rate, weather conditions, etc.), Lifestyle changes (e.g., cigarettes per day), and Nutrition & Weight Control measures (e.g., dietary intake, weight, etc.).

Download Wellness Journal pages here (PDF 48K)

Wellness Categories

AEROBIC FITNESS
	-  Run 1 mile	1 point
	-  Walk 1 mile	1 point
	-  Hike 1 mile	1 point
	-  Rollerblade 1mile	1 point
	-  Bicycle 2.5 miles	1 point
	-  20 minutes aerobics	1 point
	-  20 minutes basketball	1 point
	-  20 minutes racquetball	1 point
	-  20 minutes handball	1 point
	-  10 minutes rowing	1 point
	-  10 minutes stair master	1 point
	-  10 minutes cross country skiing	1 point
	-  10 minutes swimming	1 point
STRENGTH & STRETCHING:
	-  20 minutes weight lifting (free or machine)	1 point
	-  20 minutes calisthenics	1 point
	-  50 pushups	1 point
	-  50 sit-ups	1 point
	-  20 minutes stretching	1 point
	-  20 minutes yoga	1 point
NOTE:Not more than 70% nor less than 30% of the total Fitness points should be earned in either the Aerobic Fitness or Strength & Stretching sub-categories.The goal is to try and maintain a proportionate balance between the two sub-categories.
STRESS MANAGEMENT:
	-  10 minutes continuous meditation or other stress reduction activity	1 point
	-  Attendance at stress reduction class	2 points
	-  Activities that strengthen interpersonal relations such as Marriage Encounter/Family Life or similar program	5 points
	-  Attendance at religious activities	1 point
	-  20 minutes yoga	1 point
HEALTHY LIFESTYLE:
	-  1 month of not smoking	5 points
	-  Reduce cigarettes, cigar or pipe use by two per day for a week	3 points
	-  Consume less than one drink of distilled spirits per day per week	1 point
	-  Consume less than one beer per day per week	1 point
	-  Consume less than one glass of wine per day per week	1 point
	-  Consume less than one caffeinated beverage per day per week	1 point
	-  Monthly breast/testicular self exam	1 point
	-  Monthly skin cancer check	1 point
	-  Using stairs/avoiding elevators	1 point/week
	-  Sleep 6-7 hours per night	1 point/week
	-  Following prescribed medical treatment regimes	2 points/week
NUTRITION AND WEIGHT MANAGEMENT:
	-  Maintaining weight at recommended level for a month	5 points
	-  Reducing weight (if over) by 1-2 pounds per week	1 point
	-  Eating five servings of fruit and vegetables per day	2 points/week
	-  Drinking 32 ounces of water per day	1 point
	-  Limiting fat intake to no more than 15% of total daily calories	1 point
SAFETY AND RISK MANAGEMENT:
	-  Wearing seat belts whenever driving	5 points/month
	-  Ensuring occupants are properly positioned and restrained	1 point/month
	-  Wearing appropriate hearing, eye, foot, hand, face and/or clothing protective equipment when working with power tools/equipment	1 point/episode
	-  Wearing appropriate protective equipment (helmet, guards, gloves, clothing, eye protection, sunscreen, etc.) when engaging in sports/recreational activities	1 point/episode
	-  Use and maintenance of smoke detectors at home	1 point/month
	-  Use and maintenance of carbon monoxide detectors at home	1 point/month
	-  Completion of safe driving courses	5 points
	-  Obeying traffic signals & road signs while driving	3 points/month
	-  Obeying speed limit	3 points/month
	-  Using equipment to avoid repetitive injuries at work	5 points/month
	-  Fire extinguisher in the home	3 points/month
	-  Fire arms in the home are secured under lock and key	3 points/month

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