How many of you can relate to this familiar scene? The alarm rings at 5:45 a.m., it’s dark outside, it’s toasty in your bed, and the snooze button is all too close for comfort. The choice is made and the workout falls by the bedside—again.
 
Blowing off workouts becomes all too easy because it’s hard to muster willpower when you’re the only one privy to your fitness goals. But imagine this alternative: What if you had a standing date three days a week in the morning to meet a friend for a walk? Or what if your furry four-legged friend needed a long walk before you left for work?
 
Enlisting someone to become your workout partner makes it more likely that you’ll show up and commit to moving your body. That’s partly because to get anywhere close to your health goals, you need to get out of your head and into the world!
 
By sharing your goals with a like-minded friend, Pilates instructor or family member you can all benefit from the mutual support you provide one another. The University of Virginia’s Cynthia Moore, MS, RD, CDE, explains it this way: “[An accountability partner is] someone who is also making lifestyle changes. This is the person you can report to and, if the opportunity allows, exercise with, or practice skills together. Having a buddy can help break the cycle of isolation. It can also be a fun way to make lasting changes in your life. Research shows, for instance, that for exercise to be enduring in women, it must be enjoyable or have an element of pleasure. Teaming up with someone to compare notes and report progress, can add to the enjoyment.”
 
So what are you waiting for? Enlist your neighbor, best friend, sister, or husband. Enlist one, or many (pets and toddlers included). Heck, you can even enlist your local librarian or barista! Because you know what they say: It takes a village.

Be on the lookout for an email later this month about an upcoming accountability challenge from Happy Tree Pilates!
 
Author’s content used under license, © Sprouted Content, LLC
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