Hello friends. How are you doing with your fitness goals? Did you set any this year? One of the goals I had was to find fitness buddies. It’s easier to stick to a plan or our goals when they are shared with others. Of course we can reach our goals alone, but having another person or other people helps us to stick with them.

Here are some benefits and resources:

• Workout partners can help enhance performance. Don’t think of just weights at the gym. Think of games such as tennis, basketball, etc…sports get us moving and help us to stay fit. Not only are we having fun, we are less prone to see it as exercise. A little friendly competition can be good for us, pushing us past our comfort zone.
• Less apt to get bored. I used to walk with a few friends, and I was less apt to be bored. It was a good time. Eventually a half hour turned into an hour and half.
• More apt to stick with a program. If we are working with others to achieve our goals, we are less apt to fall off the wagon. If we live with someone  or interact with those who eat healthy, we are less apt to eat junk.
• Accountability. I have  online fitness buddies. We post our meals and workouts for the day. I am less apt to gorge myself on bad food choices knowing 7 other people are looking at what I am eating. I told them this past week I had all these girl scout cookies I ordered to help coworkers. The one buddy stated, “If you’re tempted to eat them, give them away or throw them out!”
• Talk it out. Stress sabotages many people. If you have someone you can vent to, it makes life a little less stressful. My online buddies were a great encouragement for the month I was restricted from working out. They listened and provided much needed motivation. Where the mind goes, the body follows…having someone to talk to or share experiences with is helpful.

Where to find buddies:

Online resources

• http://www.sparkpeople.com. I like Spark People because it’s loaded with information and it’s free. So no excuses about not being able to afford it. There are forums, you can log exercise and food intake, they have a smart phone app, and you can join groups and meet people.
• http://www.jillianmicheals.com. I subscribe to Jillian’s program, and I enjoy it. It’s ~50 bucks a quarter. You get tailored meal plans to your metabolism, tailored workouts which are pretty intense, and also have the option of forums, groups, and buddies. I have 7 right now we have our own group feed, and we encourage and inspire each other. Jillian has great moderators and has shown up a few times to answer questions personally, so she reads the group feeds.
• If you simply want to track your calories and workouts check out these Free Online Fitness Tracking Tools, http://www.fitsugar.com/Free-Online-Fitness-Tracking-Tools-20376377. Many have apps you can add to your smart phone.

In Real Life

• Start taking some classes. I started Krav Maga last year. It’s a great learning opportunity and workout. I want to start CrossFit this year. Whether the class is a spinning class, boxing class, CrossFit, Zumba, etc…you are bound to meet people with similar fitness goals.
• Ask co-workers, friends, and family. I wouldn’t recommend saying, “Hey you need to lose weight and I do too.” I simply say to people, “Hey, I want to start running or walking during lunch, you interested in joining?” Also every year or so I plan a Biggest Loser Competition for work. It’s great motivation to stick with my lifestyle changes and cheer for others.
• Sign up for a sport. Many Recreational Centers or Community Centers have sports teams you can sign up for.

I hope these tools help you stick with the goals you have set for yourself. Remember to set S.M.A.R.T goals.

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Realistic

Timely

One of my S.M.A.R.T goals is to reduce my body fat percentage by 3 to 5% by July 1rst. It’s specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. I don’t want to focus on weight loss. I want to focus on continuing to build lean muscle and be fit.

Cheering for you! You can do anything you set your mind to!