Building a Strong Support Network

Losing weight, building muscle or even crossing the line at your first park run requires determination, hard work, and sacrifice. Most people looking to take on a challenge already know this. The thing they often overlook however is the importance of building a strong support network around them.

Being self-motivating is an enviable attribute and one that most people can maintain for the first week or two of a new exercise and healthy eating regime. Beyond this you need to have friends and family to rally round and keep you going until the habit forms around your new lifestyle changes.

Support comes in many forms and all of them are priceless when it comes to being successful. For some people that support might be help with cooking and eating nutritious meals, while for others it may be support when cutting back on alcohol intake. Equally if your goal is to run a marathon for example then your family will need to understand the time you realistically need to train for the event. A 16 mile run isn’t quick, even when your a fast runner, If you want to avoid conflict and train properly then you need to find a balance and the support of your family is vital.

My advice is to plan ahead and really understand the commitment needed to achieve your goal. For example if you need to lose 2-3 stone to reach a healthy BMI then meal preparation, lifestyle changes and training time all need to be factored in. Two training sessions per week and a healthy lunch might be a very positive start, but this is unlikely to be enough to realistically hit your end goal. You need to think ahead and work out how you will find time for extra training sessions as your fitness improves and how to make meal preparations more time efficient. Its time to stop thinking quick fix and start looking at long term change.

Having made a plan and set your goals it’s time to speak with the three most influential people you spend your time with. This can be your partner, work colleges, family or friends. Sit down with each of them and explain your goal and your plan for achieving it. Explain why it means so much to you and once you have done this I want you to ask for their help.

Just  think back to the last time somebody asked you for your help, what did you say? I am confident it wasn’t no. With a strong support network in place it will be much easier to navigate training, meal planning, dining out with friends and all the little things that pop up along the way to achieving your end goal.

When asking for help you may just be surprised at how much some people are prepared to support you, some will attend training sessions with you, others may look after the children while you train, it could be as simple as having a shoulder to lean on and be reminded why your doing this in the first place.

Having spoken with your support network you will be able to go out with friends and relax, knowing that the peer pressure to drink and eat the things that scupper your plans will no longer be the problem it was before.

A meaningful goal and smart training plan coupled with a strong support network is the secret to achieving your goals.

We all have bad days and yes, so do I. However with a strong network behind me I am well equipped to overcome the obstacles and keep pushing forward. I am no different to you and when you are ready to look beyond the quick fix solutions and truly own your goals then amazing things will happen.

Step 1: Make your plan

Step 2: Build your support network

Step 3: Don’t’ give up on the hard days, they never last

Step 4: Achieve more than you ever thought possible.

Andy Strong

Fundamentally FIT Ltd