One of the hardest things about adulthood is rewarding yourself in a healthy way.

Rewards are important. They motivate you. They help you celebrate milestones. Without a marker that you’ve completed something big or small, the accomplishment feels insignificant. Eventually your brain will think why am I accomplishing this at all? If the only reward is more work, might as well stop striving.

For that reason, take a moment to reward yourself. Your brain will get a break and the reward will motivate you to keep reaching for your goals.

That being said, friends, it’s hard to find rewards that are healthy. Traditionally we think of rewards as ice cream or wine or even a shopping spree. Those things have their place, but I’ve been exploring other ways to treat yourself because I think we often go to the unhealthy and expensive options. Not sure why this happens. Capitalism maybe? Consumer culture? Either way, here’s what I’ve come up with.

Six treats that are healthy for you and your bank account:

1. Walk, hike, run, or bike with a friend.
2. Take a moment after a big project and do something for you. Love the movies? Great, go to a movie. Looking forward to a new book? Perfect, get to reading. Enjoy planting veggies in your garden? Sow those seeds. Bonus: a lot of cities offer movie nights in the park that are free or inexpensive. Check those out.
3. Spend time with family and friends. It’s one of the best ways to feel connected and rejuvenated. No money required.
4. Try something new like a ropes course or a rage room. Yep, that’s a thing.
5. Cook or eat something healthy. It doesn’t have to break your bank account. My go to is a green smoothie because I’m a basic millennial, but you do you. Love pumpkin? Bake some pumpkin bread. Like a good rice bowl? Get you one.
6. Play a game with friends. Card game, board game, scavenger hunt around your city. Doesn’t matter to me. All of these sound like fun.

What healthy rewards have you been treating yourself to lately?

Photos by Nathan Cowley and Jens Mahnke