Why You Need To Get Social and Find Support!

So you just started a diet or working out every day.

You’re feeling pumped and really motivated.

You haven’t seen results yet, but you can feel them coming because of the massive change in your energy.

And you’re finally sleeping well at night.

Then, all of the sudden, family comes to visit or you have a big lunch event with co-workers.  You order a healthy meal or refuse the second helping…and the eye rolls & questions begin.  “Why are YOU on a diet?” “Are you on diet or something?”

I don’t know about you, but this has happened to me enough times to  know exactly how I respond…I retreat, never talk about it again, try to hide the fact that I’m eating healthy, resent those people…and worst of all…you feel like you’ve lost all that energy and motivation you had.

How did we get knocked off our path so easily?

It comes down to one word: Support.

Surrounding yourself with people who support you is key to achieving ANY goal.  Reaching your fitness goals is no different than reaching your other goals in life.

So, in this last part of my Kickstart your weight loss series, I wanted to talk about a method you might not consider a weight loss tool at all.

But it is crucial success factor when you are starting out.

I’m talking about building/joining/participating in a health & fitness community or group.  By finding a group of likeminded people who are all working toward their own fitness goals, you are setting yourself up to win.

Have you ever heard that 5 people you spend most of your time with determine your success in life?  Look around yourself and see who you spend most of your time with.  What kind of habits do they have? Do they workout? Do you talk about health or fitness or food with them?

Imagine you find a group of people who are all motivated to lose weight, get in shape, feel better, live healthier, be stronger…imagine how powerful a tool this can be.  Simply joining a group like this can double your efforts and give your weight loss that kickstart it needs!

My own experience with a fitness community started when I joined Valerie Waters’ Red Carpet Ready club.  As I mentioned in an earlier post where I review the Red Carpet Ready program, the forum was simply an extension of that and I got a 1 month free…I never imagined or expected that it would become a VITAL part of the program and the one reason I now live a fairly consistent healthy life (I’m human, people…and even I can’t resist food indulgences and too much tv sometimes!).

I’ve been in an RCR girl now for more than a year now! I can’t believe how many positive changes have become the way I live now.  And I want to admit to you that only recently I REALLY grasped how important the group is to me reaching my fitness goals.

Over the last few months, I haven’t been able to participate as often or at all for weeks at a time.  At first I didn’t see any changes in my habits, didn’t see any drop in the quality & quantity of workouts, but slowly I have definitely seen a decline in these areas.

So, what’s my plan now?  Hop back in … not try to catch up with everyone, but simply go in, be present, support other people and remind myself again why I NEED their support.  Mary Bess, my pal and superstar RCR girl, sent me a message a few days ago to see how I was doing.  And the realization hit me in the face.

I need the group to keep me moving in a positive direction.

We all need that. 

Workout Buddy or Support Group?

I know, it sounds like therapy–and in some ways it can be just that…but the reason why you need that dedicated group of people supporting you is…well, because everyone needs a push now and then.  Sometimes you don’t even realize you need the push.  Then, when you get it it’s like “wow, I can do anything!”

I learned a long time ago that trying to get every single shred of support from my husband or even my family wasn’t really realistic. That’s why having a group of people who are ready to focus on just your health & your fitness is the way to go.  You leave your other life baggage at home.  They only want to see you reach your goals.  Sure, they can give you additional help & will eventually be more than just workout buddies, but the main role of this group is to support your decision to get healthy.

Benefits of A Fitness Community

1. Accountability
2. An Extra Push When You Need It
3. A Place To Reveal Your Biggest Frustrations & Challenges
4. Sharing Your Experience With Others…can actually help others!
5. Gives You A Sense Of Purpose and Belonging
6. Helps you Learn From What Is & What Isn’t Working For Others
7. Keeps You Focused On Your Goals

How To Find Your Tribe

Here are things to keep in mind when you are searching for the right group for you:

• It may take a few tries to find a community or group that you like or feels right.
• You can find free groups online in many different places or there is often a forum/group/meet ups with paid for fitness/diet programs.
• Gauge the general tone of posts inside a forum and decide if this is a place you can learn from people and quite simply if it seems like people who you’d be friends with in person!
• Once you do pick a group, dive in and get to know the other members.  Let them get to know you too.
• Don’t do too much group hopping.  Research different online and offline opportunities for meeting people with similar goals.  Maybe an online group isn’t for you–maybe you want to meet up with a group of women or people every week to do some activity.

The Next Step

Here are a few free online communities that you can check out right now.

Look around and choose 1 that stands out for you (for any reason really) and spend a week going in reading posts.

Simply go in and support the people already in there.  If you can, try to post every single day.  Even if it’s just responding to someone else.  If it feels right, post your own “story” and see what kind of replies YOU get.

Facebook Groups:
Lose Weight
Weight Loss and Training Tips
FREE Fitness & Weight Loss Coaching
Health. Fitness. Weight Loss & More
Jorge Cruz – Belly Fat Cure

Yahoo Groups
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/WeightLossGroupSupport/
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Weight-Loss/
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Weight-Loss-Ladies/

If you aren’t into the online thing so much and think you might need a group that meets regularly…check out Meetup.com.  Do a search for weight loss, fitness, raw food, gluten free, pilates…whatever topics you are interested in related to health & fitness.  You’ll get notified of groups that fit your topics and interests!

Once you join one of the communities, come back here and comment below.

If you are already part of an online group or meet with people offline, leave me a comment and let me know a little about it and how it has impacted your overall health & fitness level.

If you don’t think any of these groups is right for you, email me and I will help you find a better match for you.

If you enjoyed this post, get more free healthy lifestyle tips by email.

Ok – This is a quick list I made – off the top of my head. I was brainstorming ways that I use Twitter to stay in Shape…
Whether it’s pilates, kettlebells, yoga, or hiking…you will find people doing your favorite activity on Twitter. If you haven’t checked Twitter out yet, you should…It’s fun…and clearly as I share below…it can help you get & stay in shape.

1. Find a Workout Buddy
2. Tweet your food journal
3. Keep In Touch with your trainer or class teacher
4. Get new workouts & tips from your trainer
5. Find fitness tips from other trainers and resources
6. Stay motivated by learning what other people are doing
7. Post your daily workout to share with friends and your trainer
8. Find someone that inspires you to get in shape and follow them–i.e. Jen Garner, Jennifer Biel, Rachel Nichols
9. Read, Post, and Share Motivational Quotes
10. Create a blog and post on twitter when you update it.

Here’s the top people/users I would follow just be on top of different ways of getting in shape, eating right and living a healthy lifestyle:

• @livewell360
• @healthyirishman
• @valeriewaters
• @ideafit
• @annesamoilov
• @WeightWatchers
• @toscareno
• @toneitup
• @jillianmichaels
• @mbthin (one of my workout buddies!)

There are a ton more to follow.  Do a search for different people or companies or “diet” names — or anyone that you might know and think can give you good information.

The importance of Twitter is in helping you join/build a tribe of people that share a common goal.  Sure you could get carried away with how many people are following you, but if you go into Twitter with the goal of gaining new knowledge, you won’t go wrong.  You might meet some fun new people going through exactly what you are!

If you’d like to try pilates and get more information on joining the Twitter tweeters, reserve your first private pilates session with me today!