Trick your reward system – with exercise

Have you ever felt that it’s impossible to stay on track when it comes to exercise or healthy eating? Staying motivated and resisting temptation can feel like a struggle. Here’s how to trick your own reward system to make it easier to achieve your goals.

Your reward system is the part of your brain that’s responsible for giving you a feeling of pleasure when you do something your brain thinks is beneficial or important. For example, when you eat something tasty or get a compliment, your brain activates the reward system and releases dopamine – the brain’s “happiness hormone.” This gives you a feeling of satisfaction and makes you want to repeat the behavior.

The problem is that the reward system is also triggered by less healthy habits – such as eating fast food or skipping exercise because you want to “take it easy” for a day. That quick reward is hard to resist, but if you can redirect the system through the right habits, you can make it easier for yourself to achieve your health goals.

Here’s how to trick the reward system and make it work for you:

1. Exercise as a reward

When you exercise, dopamine and endorphins are also released, giving you a feeling of reward and satisfaction. To “trick” your reward system, you can use exercise as positive reinforcement to replace the short-term rewards you might otherwise seek. For example, instead of treating yourself to something tasty after a workout, you can use the feeling of being stronger or more energetic as your reward.

2. Create small, repeated rewards

It’s easy to feel that exercise is something big and heavy that will only reward you in the long term, such as through weight loss or improved fitness. But if you break down your workout into small, repeated rewards, you’ll get a more continuous dopamine kick. This could involve setting sub-goals – perhaps doing an extra workout this week or increasing your running distance by a few percent. That small sense of achievement makes you more likely to continue.

3. Plan for positive habits

When you create a workout routine that feels good for you and makes you feel rewarded immediately after each session, your reward system can begin to associate exercise with something positive and rewarding. It can be as simple as choosing forms of exercise that you actually enjoy, so that you look forward to each session. According to research, this type of reward gives you an increased sense of happiness, which in turn strengthens your desire to continue exercising.

4. Be kind to yourself and give yourself credit

When you make progress, don’t be afraid to give yourself some recognition. Small rewards can be what keeps you motivated. It’s not about celebrating every time you exercise, but giving yourself a mental pat on the back when you do something good for your body. Your brain will quickly associate exercise with positive feelings and rewards, which will make you want to repeat the behavior.

5. Track your progress and pay attention to results

Another good way to trick your reward system is to actively track your progress, both in terms of exercise and health. Many people feel more motivated when they see concrete results from their efforts. This could be noting improved endurance, weight loss, or better sleep quality. With the help of an app (such as Wellobe) or a workout diary, you can see small steps of progress along the way, which triggers your reward system to keep working for you.

*Weight loss is individual, so we cannot guarantee how much/how quickly you will reach your goal. The important thing is all the health benefits. We distance ourselves from unhealthy ideals and crash diets, and do not recommend calorie counting if you are underweight, ill, or pregnant.