At the beginning of my fitness journey, I wasn’t thinking about celebrations. I was so new to the concept of fitness and what that might mean in my life that I didn’t really think about celebrating. The good thing is that it didn’t take long to come up with the idea—and to be encouraged every step of the way by my trainer.

I soon realized that each additional accomplishment—no matter how small—was worthy of celebration. Sometimes, I celebrated just by saying “Yay, for me. I did it!” And that felt marvelous!

Affirmations

First, I made a list of celebration statements or affirmations. These can be personal to you or something to say to yourself during an event. For example, when swimming, I might say it is a beautiful day for a swim or I might compare myself to a dolphin. When running, I think of going as fast as a roadrunner. “Beep, Beep.”

My fitness trainer, Keith, came up with a new affirmation for me—and I like it!

            Because I can.

            Because I like it.

            Because it is good for me.

I’ve become a big fan of affirmation statements. They seem to create energy and enthusiasm in the moment, and they can carry your through an event or a morning. You can say your favorite affirmations several times during the day to keep yourself on track. Some of my examples might resonate with you, and you can create your own.

Documentation

Besides documenting your workouts or your meal plan, keep a list of your accomplishments. Looking at that list each week will help you focus on what you have accomplished. By the end of a year, you can look back with pride.

Pins

I also celebrate my fitness accomplishments with pins. You could do this with any physical objects that are meaningful to you. It might be a charm bracelet or a cap from a favorite event. My go-to cap is one that my son gave me that said, “Run your happy pace.” It worked. I’ve always been happy when wearing that cap!

Here are a few examples of my pins.

My first pin (shown here in the middle) was a suggestion from my Mom. She encouraged me to celebrate completing my first race, the Rice Street Mile. This pin has a running shoe with wings on the front and the word FOCUS on the back. For me, this pin represents that I have learned to focus on what I can do, not on what I can’t do.

My second pin has a dolphin on it to celebrate completing my first triathlon. When I was struggling to learn to swim more effectively, I tried to swim like a dolphin, which glides through the water effortlessly.

My third pin is a replica of an ancient Greek coin with an Athena on it. This is to celebrate that I lost 100 pounds. In sports events, an Athena is a woman who weighs more than 145 pounds. I will always be an Athena, but I will be a fit, healthy, balanced one.

The fourth pin is a roadrunner, because when I am running, I try to run as fast as a roadrunner (Beep! Beep!). On the front it says, 6K, 8K, and 10K 2008. On the back it says: Determination. It takes a lot of determination to finish those longer distance races.

The fifth pin has the Run/Bike/Swim symbols of a triathlon (shown first in the photo). It celebrates the completion of my first Olympic Distance triathlon in August of 2011.

Display Space in My Basement

Another way to celebrate my accomplishments is a display space in my basement workout area. I have a shelf for three-dimensional prizes and participation objects. I also display the mugs, coffee cups, plaques, plates, and a box I have received over the years.

Another type of reward is a medal. Sometimes you get one on a ribbon for crossing the finish line. Other times you get it for placing in your age group. These are proudly displayed on a rack with “Swim, Bike, Run, Play” at the top. The visual aspect is one way to celebrate, and it also provides motivation to keep going.

Annual Scrapbooks

Each year, I keep a scrapbook of my events. For each event. I include registration information, event emails, my racing bib, photographs, and the results. It is a great way to document my events and remember my firsts—whether it was my first race or first triathlon of the year, or if it led to a personal best. It’s inspiring and fun to browse through my books on occasion and encourages me to try for something new or repeat a fun event!

Celebrate Publicly and Privately

The important part about celebrations is that you should do them often. Celebrate in ways that bring you pleasure or help you to remember what is positive in your life. It’s a very personal thing, and you can make it count!

In business, I have shared this with my clients. One person who had a part-time business became profitable for the first time. I suggested she celebrate that even though the dollar amount was small. Celebrating success encourages more success.

There are many ways to applaud yourself. Celebrations can be public or private, something that you want to share with the world or something private known only by you. However I celebrate my accomplishments, I celebrate them proudly.