How to Build a Community of Support to Reach Your Fitness Goals

Living a healthy lifestyle takes a serious commitment. Between job schedules, family responsibilities, and other obligations, it can be hard to hit every gym session and to eat right faithfully. But you don’t have to do it alone. Building a supportive community of friends, family, and fellow fitness enthusiasts can help keep you motivated when obstacles get in the way.

When beginning a fitness journey, it’s crucial to have a strong support system. You’re already fighting an uphill battle so having an accountability partner can be invaluable on those days that you lack motivation. Whether it’s a friend, a gym partner, a personal trainer, spouse, coworker, or a group, it’s helpful to have somebody you can exchange challenges and accomplishments with at the end of the day. This might be someone who walks with you or carpools with you to a Zumba class. Or it can be the person you link your Fitbit to so you can see each other’s steps every day. Or perhaps it’s a support group that holds regular meetings. Whichever you choose, these partners can give you that extra boost when you need it.

If you’re starting your fitness journey on your own, here are some tips that will help you find or create a supportive fitness community:

• Approach your coworkers. There might be an employee group ready to embrace you and your goals.

• Ask a loved one to be your accountability partner. This might be the opportunity a family member has been waiting for to join you on your journey.

• Check the Apps Store. There are dozens of health and fitness apps and most of them offer a community of people who have goals similar to yours.

• Look online for local workout and health groups. There are many resources that have multiple locations around most cities.

• Join a team. Do you love soccer, flag football, basketball, softball, or tennis? You’ll find the camaraderie is motivation in itself.

• Attend a group fitness class and introduce yourself to the “regulars.”

The key is to surround yourself with positive, supportive people who are going to encourage you, especially when you don’t believe in yourself. Those are the moments a person or community can give you the push you need to get through the hard times. And who knows, over time you may end up being that support network for someone else.