Think about the last time you set a new fitness or nutrition goal for yourself. Go ahead. I’ll wait…
Got it? Good.
Personally, I always get a little nervous and apprehensive when starting something new. But the thought of achieving something I WANT always gets me a little excited.
If you’re like most people, you may get a little apprehensive and nervous, too. Along with a little excited. #AllTheFeels
The thought of losing that 20 pounds by the summer and getting into the habit of working out twice a week gets you started. You’re going to nail it this time! Right?
But time passed and that goal you set didn’t seem to be getting any closer. I mean 20 pounds is pretty specific and realistic, right? You set a ‘SMART’ goal and did everything right, what gives?
There is this one HUGE influence on your goals that most people never think of…
Your social circles.
Those people you choose to be on this journey with. YOU may be pumped about training for your first 5K, but you might find others around you less than supportive. And navigating those relationships can be challenging.
Here are some tips to help you rally the troops and garner support to succeed!
1. Tell the tribe!
And the more candid you are about your goals the more real they become.
Have you ever signed up for a race or started to work on a nutrition habit and not told anyone about it? Maybe you were unsure of your choice or were not 100% confident in your ability to follow through.
Did you feel the less people know about it, the less off a failure you feel like if you don’t follow through?
The good news is that’s a completely normal human behavior. You’re normal!
Now do you want the better news?
Understanding that, you can rewrite that script.
Research shows that talking with your family or friends about your new eating habits can help you stay motivated AND encourage them to support you better. This way instead of poking and prodding you to take another helping at the family dinner they might support you when you say you’ve had enough.
Started at a new gym and you’re excited about it? Tell the world! Not only will those around you understand when you turn down drinks on a Friday night to go to the gym. They might even be enticed to join you and get started on their own fitness journey.
Looking for some extra support on your fitness journey?
2. Your Words Matter.
Think about how you’re sharing your goals with others or even how you’re talking with them about with yourself. Yup, the voice inside of your head matters.
If you have a negative or blasé tone about your goal then the same mindset comes along with it.
For example:
Saying you “signed up for a marathon” is different than saying you are going to “run and finish a marathon”. The more enthusiasm and positive wording you can use to talk about not only the activity but the outcome of the activity will open your minds ability to see it in that positive light.
Visualization can feel very wishy-washy, but there is science to back it up. The more you see/talk about/visualize what you want to accomplish in a positive way the more excited you will be to do it. Therefore, you’ll have more fun preparing for your race and feel even more empowered and accomplished when you cross the finish line.
3. Think About Those Around You…
Are They Helping You?
So often we find ourselves in a group of friends, with a group of coworkers or even interactiving with family memebers that aren’t serving us anymore. They might not understand life changes you have made or they might not even know you are trying to make these changes or reach for new goals.
These people aren’t serving you in your path to new goals and habits. Now there is no need to write them off and find new friends, quit you job or avoid your family! Here are steps to take if people that you surround yourself with aren’t serving you anymore.
Talk to them
They might be unaware of changes you have made to live your best life.
Perhaps they just don’t know you have giving up alcohol to live a better life. They don’t mean to be an A-hole at the family party and try to force feed you glasses of wine. Tell them and perhaps they will be more supportive than you ever thought.
Show them
Maybe just telling them that you aren’t drinking isn’t enough. Showing off your hard work and talking about how great you feel and the weight that you have lost without booze in your life, can give them a clear visual of WHY you have chosen this path and that you are very clear on not returning to it.
This may feel braggy but who cares, you worked hard and feel great so share your story. Who knows you might influence those around you to make similar life changes for the better!
Take a Break From Them
Don’t feel like you have the willpower to say no to your friends at the bar as they raz you abot not drinking. Don’t think you can hold true to your goals in that situation? Then take a break from putting yourself there.
Have a conversation with your friends so they understand why you’re not picking up the bar inviations as much. You have goals of not drinking anymore and feel that it’s hard when you put yourself in that situation. Suggest other activities or just take a break from that social scene altogether.
This may feel yucky or just plain hard, but if they actually give a shit about you then they’ll back off and be there with open arms when you return.
Making Waves: Your Chance To Influence Those You Love
Sometimes leading by example is the best way to help those around you. Here are a few ways to create influence in your tribe:
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Telling them about your goals.
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Inviting them to join you in training for a 5K race
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Bring them to event at your gym
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Tell them about how your path to meeting your goals feels great and how pumped you are about them.
This isn’t bragging about getting your shit together and them not, it’s about YOU being proud of YOU.
If you got a new job promotion you’d surely tell those you loved! So why if you ran a race for the first time or started a new fitness routine or hit your goal bodyweight shouldn’t you be proud to tell others too?
You may just make waves in your personal circle and empower those around you to make change too! Now not only are you a doer but now you’re an influencer.
Your Mission
That very moment you decide on changing something in your life make sure to involve the tribe. Tell them about it and be candid. Talk about how you’re going to succeed and you may influence the people you care about.
Just remember that the haters gonna hate and you don’t need that negativity in your life right now. You’re busy living your best life!
Looking for a new tribe to support you and help you nail your fitness goals? Let’s see how we can help!
Lindsay is the co-founder and First Lady of First Guess Fitness as well as the head nutrition coach in our AMPed Nutrition coaching program. Lindsay implements a body-positive strategy to help each member and coaching client NAIL their health and nutrition goals. She’s also a SUPER mom and is a pre- and post-natal coach for all things fitness.