According to a study by the Milken Institute, the healthcare system in the US spends a whopping $1.72 trillion a year on treating diseases caused by obesity. Despite spending billions of dollars annually on weight loss solutions, 40% of the population is still classified as obese. It is time to take charge of your health and commit to wellness. Consider finding an accountability partner to help you stay motivated and focused on achieving your goals.
Why is partnering with a friend, spouse, family member, or coach essential to achieving your goals? There are several reasons for locking arms with a buddy. Here are a few:
- Motivation. You are making a pact if you commit to training with another person. When you use the buddy system, you create a contract with each other. Whether written or verbal, the pact makes a compelling argument for each party to meet its end of the bargain.
- Speak it into existence. Your mind wants to believe what you tell it. So, if you say you will work out with your friend at a given date and time, the chances that each of you will show up for your workout dramatically increase. Who wants to be known as a “flake?”
- It’s fun! You can share laughs, stories, and wins with your partner. Can’t you see yourself high-fiving and encouraging each other through the process?
- It creates consistency. When someone depends on you to show up as their training partner, scheduling these sessions establishes consistency in your routine.
- Discipline. And, because you are developing a consistent behavior of meeting up with your buddy, you begin to develop a new habit in your life.
- Support. When the going gets tough, the tough get going. It feels better to be with someone who lifts your spirits when you’re down, spots you when the weight is too heavy, and carries you through the most challenging parts of your journey. We all feel better about ourselves when we serve another human being.
- Play off each other’s strengths. Nobody is built the same or has the same energy, agility, coordination, or flexibility level. When you work out with someone else, you recognize your strengths and learn to acknowledge your weaknesses.
- Mirroring. Humans learn from one another through example; we mimic the behaviors we like in others. So, if you have a buddy that likes to work out, his enthusiasm will rub off on you, and visa versa.
- Accountability. If nobody is watching, slacking off from your routine is easier. However, if somebody keeps tabs on your progress, it’s much harder to cheat the system. That’s why we call this the Buddy System.
- Maintenance. Once you reach your goals with your buddy, it will be easier to continue and maintain a regular fitness routine on your own because, by that time, you will have developed a new habit.
This may seem overwhelming at first; however, if you are consistent and you commit to your accountability partner, you soon begin living a new and healthy life.
We often look for quick fixes, but fad diets and pills are not the solution. Eating right, exercising regularly, and allowing time for relaxation is a healthier alternative. By continuing to exercise regularly, especially with weight resistive exercise and high-intensity aerobics, you can increase muscle and bone mass, feel stronger, more energetic, and have less stiffness in your joints.
At Absolute Best, we believe in a holistic approach to weight loss and preventative medicine, meaning no drugs, if possible. Committing to a wellness program and having an accountability partner is essential for achieving your weight-loss goals. Visit our wellness center to meet our doctors and trainers, who can guide you through a personally designed wellness program.
