How's your support system?
This may be a bit controversial, but I'm gonna say it anyway...
If your family and closest friends are not supportive of your fitness and health goals, your probability of success is much, much lower.
I'm not saying that it's impossible to succeed in your health and fitness journey - but I am saying that it'll be a LOT harder to succeed.
So, how's your support system? Do the people you live with and the five people you spend the most time around support your health and fitness goals?
If they do, take a moment to tell them "thank you." You can use some of the strategies below to strengthen their support over time.
If they don't support your goals, read on for some strategies you can use today to change their viewpoint and get them in your corner. The time you spend on this will pay huge dividends.
First - what's a good support system look like?
A good support system has a couple of key attributes that you can quickly assess:
- Do my friends and family respect and encourage my time at the gym and other movement (like taking a walk after a meal) at least 4 days each week?
- Do my friends and family support and encourage my healthy food choices both when grocery shopping and when eating out?
- Do my friends and family provide consistent and positive feedback to me about my goals, my ability to reach them, and my coinsistency in taking the actions each day and week that lead to success?
If you answered "no" to any of those, then your support system can be improved
A good support system is more than "not negative." Sometimes people want to pat themselves on the back for simply not being negative. That's definitely a good step in the right direction, but it's not enough. We're not aiming for perfection, but we are aiming higher than "not negative." We want to move the needle to the positive side.
Simple steps to move your support system from neutral or negative to positive
Let's dive right into some strategies that you can implement today to start moving your support system from neutral or negative to the positive side...
- Communication. This is key to so many things in healthy relationships, so it's no surprise that it's top on this list. Share with your family and friends why your fitness and health goals are important to you. Go deeper than just saying, "I want to lose weight or be stronger or improve my health." Ask yourself why those things are important, and then share that with your friends and family.
Maybe it's important to you so that you can do more with your kids as they grow older. Maybe you want to coach a softball or baseball team they're on when they're 10 years old. Maybe you want to have energy to go dancing with your spouse. Maybe you want to be healthy and fit late into life to spend quality time with your grandkids. Maybe you want to do a Hyrox event or a Spartan race or a Green Beret Fitness event in the mountains because you crave the adventure and accomplishment.
Bottom line: find your why and openly share it with your family and friends. Expect this to be a dialog and be ready to be emotionally transparent with them. They need to understand where you're coming from. (This will also help you, btw.)
- Get them involved to the extent they're comfortable. Invite them to the gym to join in a workout with you or to hang out while you work out. Let them see the joy and sense of accomplishment that comes from your time in the gym. Work together to meal plan and prep for the week. Find healthy options that you all love and can get excited about.
- Celebrate your positive results with them. Hit a new personal record in the gym? Involve them in the celebration. Did your body composition change in a positive direction? Celebrate with your support system. Were you consistent with a healthy habit 5 days last week? Fist bump your support system and thank them for helping you do it. As you include them in your successes, even the small ones, you'll find their support grows.
Want some help developing your own strategy for getting your support system moving in the right direction in support of your healthy goals? We're here to help. Click the button below and let's get together.
