It’s been nearly three months since you started with the SparkDiet, and you are still going strong. Now is a great time to give yourself a reward. Take some time and think of a reward that fits your accomplishment and makes it all worthwhile. Maybe it’s an expensive night out with your spouse. Take a weekend vacation, an all-day treatment at a spa, or a trip to see your family. Did someone say "shopping spree?" If money’s tight, take a weekend off and simply do what you want to do, not what you think you have to do. If you can’t splurge on yourself, you can still spoil yourself – you deserve it! Revisit a hobby. Go camping. Listen to your favorite CD sitting in a lawn chair in the sun for an entire afternoon. Good work should be rewarded, to replenish your efforts and to keep your motivational juices flowing. So kick back for a bit and bask in your glory!

Rewards build momentum. This goes for all rewards, no matter if they’re small, medium or large. To help you continue to build your habits, pick a small daily reward that will keep you motivated and consistent for a few weeks. Here’s an example from a famous children’s book series. In one Berenstain Bears story, Brother Bear had trouble biting his fingernails. So Mama Bear gave him a small reward every day: 10 pennies. Every time he bit a nail, he gave one penny back. But at the end of the day, he was allowed to keep the remaining pennies. The strategy soon worked and he broke his bad habit. Find your own system that works for you. Like the Berenstain Bears, think of rewards that apply directly to your goals at hand, and make sure it’s a reward you’ll enjoy.

You’re already giving yourself a big reward this week, but that doesn’t mean the rewards need to stop. Momentum can slow down at any time. To help combat this, pick another big reward to help you build habits into a healthy lifestyle and advance to Stage 4. As long as you have goals, and as long as you’re working hard toward those goals, rewards can play an important role. Be generous to yourself and never stop patting yourself on the back.