Only as Good as The People Around You
I've played football since second grade all the way through college. I've had years where my personal statistics were awesome and others where they were average. Was I getting that much better or worse as a player? Probably not. What I noticed to be the difference of my own personal success was directly correlated with the how good my teammates were. In some cases the teams I played on didn't have to all be all stars to be a good team, we just needed to compliment each other.
Do you have the right people around you? Does your family bring the best out of you? Do your co-workers compliment your skills at the office? Do your friends make you feel relaxed and at ease? Taking it one step further, do they all help your health and fitness goals?
You want to surround yourself with positive people and influences. The more motivational, positive, and "better than you" people you are around the more successful you will be in your health and fitness goals and in any other aspect.
Motivational People- Does your family, friends, and co-workers supply you with positive reinforcement pertaining to your health goals? Hopefully, they are encouraging and don't enable you to persist with negative unhealthy lifestyle habits and choices. If they are negative or doubting of what you need to do to become healthy you must either avoid them (in case of friends), or ask them to change. This step can be a little tricky, but communication is key. You have to sit everyone down and make them aware of your goals and ask for their help. More than likely they will follow suit. You'll be surprised what announcing your goals and intentions to everyone you know will do for you. When I've had clients do this in the past they have all came back to me and told me the unbelievable amount of support and willingness to help they received!
Positive Situations- Positive people help, but also putting yourself in a positive environment or situation helps even more. During your break at work why would you go to the break room filled with vending machines of junk. Go outside, get fresh air, go for a walk! Why sign up for a gym where you don't feel comfortable? What are the chances you'll actually go? Make sure your gym gives you positive vibes, or even train at home or at the park. Training at a comfortable, motivating ,and enjoyable place will keep you exercising and moving.
Hanging Around the Elite- Say your fitness goal is to run a 1/2 marathon. You may get some success running with your normal crew who runs the usual 5k, but will they truly challenge you? If you want to get better at an activity or even just get healthier you should try to workout with or surround yourself with people who have done what you want. You'll learn from their experiences, be motivated by what they do, and realize the work that is needed to be done in order to achieve your goal. They will keep you accountable.
At BE we do this for our clients. We aren't television trainers yelling at you for the cameras. We surround you with positive reinforcement, knowledge, and trainers and other clients who have already done what you need and want. Search personal training gyms, exercise clubs, support groups, running clubs, etc. in your area that do the same.
-Mark Radio
Mark Radio is the General Manager of Body Elite. He graduated from Bloomsburg University in 2008 with a bachelors degree in Exercise Science. He is a certified nutritional counselor through AFPA. Mark enjoys working with all types of clients from any skill level. Mark tailors programs to your skill level and goals, putting an emphasis on strength training, high intensity cardio, and eating “real” food to get BE clients to where they want to be.