Make sure your friends and people you spend the most time with share the same health goals. The research shows clearly that social connections are extremely important to achieve long term results. It’s hard to change our behaviour but it’s much easier if we have support and likeminded people around us. It turns out that our friendships are a stronger determinant of our ability to lose weight and stay lean than our genetics are. We are 171% more likely to be overweight if our friends are overweight but only (in comparison) 40% more likely to be overweight if our parents are. Even if friends of our friends, we don’t even know, are overweight we are still more likely to be overweight. This is how powerful our lifestyle and habits are and they are very much affected by our social connections.
I don’t believe we should ‘unfriend’ our overweight friends but maybe we can actively look for new friends and places, where we are likely to meet people with similar health goals. This is how we can achieve long term results and don’t allow any of our efforts go to waste. Don’t forget your old friends and become their support person.
This social link and power of social networks is so ignored. We often make a resolution of becoming healthier, feel strong about it until, for some reason, our willpower is just not enough and we give in to temptation. Relying on our willpower alone is very hard and often unrealistic as we all experience weak moments. This extra support and motivation coming from our friends is what can help us go through these phases. It also makes the experience more enjoyable. Taking care of our health in a supportive group, like exercising together, becomes an opportunity to socialize and have fun instead of just hard work or a chore.
I don’t believe we should ‘unfriend’ our overweight friends but maybe we can actively look for new friends and places, where we are likely to meet people with similar health goals. This is how we can achieve long term results and don’t allow any of our efforts go to waste. Don’t forget your old friends and become their support person.
This social link and power of social networks is so ignored. We often make a resolution of becoming healthier, feel strong about it until, for some reason, our willpower is just not enough and we give in to temptation. Relying on our willpower alone is very hard and often unrealistic as we all experience weak moments. This extra support and motivation coming from our friends is what can help us go through these phases. It also makes the experience more enjoyable. Taking care of our health in a supportive group, like exercising together, becomes an opportunity to socialize and have fun instead of just hard work or a chore.
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