Maintaining consistent adherence is the biggest obstacle people face when attempting to improve their health, lose weight, or make exercise and healthy eating a permanent part of their life.
However, having a strong support system has been shown to increase the likelihood you will be consistent with your workout plan and successfully see weight loss.[1] A strong support system, in the form of friends and family acting as your cheerleaders, can help keep you on track and avoid temptations.
Some may have a natural team of supporters behind them, but sometimes others aren’t so lucky. On occasion, friends and family can actually sabotage efforts to get fit–usually for a variety of reasons. (If you’re interested to read about why those closest to us may be our biggest saboteurs, click here.)
If you find you don’t have a natural support system in place to help you succeed, you can follow these tips below to begin building your “A-Team.”
Share Your Goals
By making your goals public to your social network, via social media or word of mouth, you can create an additional layer of accountability.[2] When your goals are private you only risk letting yourself down, which can usually be rationalized away. Make your goals known to others, and now you risk the social embarrassment of “failing” them, and a third party won’t be so quick to accept your rationalizations.
Recruit Your “A-Team”
At A-Team Fitness we have developed an awesome community of people who help support each other toward their goals. You can recruit your own team of supporters at home by inviting friends and family to join you for your workouts, or coming along while you grocery shop together. This way you can keep each other accountable, and honest, about what you do or what you are about to buy. It will also make these activities more fun!
Fill Specific Roles
No single person can help you with everything. Maybe you have a member of your “team” who makes a great workout buddy, because they will consistently show up. However, this same individual is one who constantly invites you to grab a bite to eat afterwards at the closest burger joint. On the other hand, you might have a foodie friend who would love to try new recipes with you, but generally hates being active. It’s important to seek out a variety of individuals to join your team, because each person will play a different supporting role. As you begin to fill these roles, make sure you have at least some people in your support system who have similar goals as you.
Don’t Be Afraid To Ask For Help
No one can be successful by themselves–it takes a village. Many people find it difficult to ask others for help, and as a result will often keep their struggles and desires a secret from the outside world. However, sometimes straightforwardly asking people in your life for help is all it takes to recruit a powerful ally. Make sure you are clear in exactly how you’d like them to help, whether it be simple encouragement or slapping the junk food out of your hand. (Literally or figuratively.)
Once you are able to build your fitfam, you will have a nearly constant supply of encouragement and added motivation to help keep you on track toward your fitness goals. Having a strong support system keeps things fun, helps you feel more confident in your ability to succeed, and will make you overall more successful on your fitness journey.
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