Setting fitness goals at the beginning of every new stage in life is a fairly common practice. Whether it’s a desire to lose weight, cut a few minutes off a 5k race time, or finally sculpt those abs, fitness goals are often made but rarely achieved. This low success rate could be due to a variety of factors, from busy schedules that make it difficult to prioritize health and fitness goals to a lack of needed equipment to a lack of space. However, perhaps the greatest contributor to the low fitness goal success rate is a lack of both support and accountability.
The most popular form of a support group used to be found in paid memberships to different fitness or weight loss organizations. These groups provided structure for participants, as well as encouragement and support from other individuals who were struggling with similar issues. However, most people can’t really afford to pay to join such groups. Fortunately, online fitness support groups and apps are now available as excellent, free alternatives to traditional weight loss programs.
Free Online Support Groups & Apps:
SparkPeople is one such free online weight loss program that can boast of helping users lose an average of over nine pounds after being active members for six weeks. Programs like SparkPeople provide individuals with both the accountability and support that is needed for most people to actually successfully lose weight and keep it off.
Alternatively, individuals may wish to use iPhone apps like My Fitness Pal to keep track of their weight loss goals while also revealing their weight loss efforts to friends and family alike. This app gives users a way to conveniently track their daily intake of calories while also recording their daily exercise routines. At the same time, the social aspect of My Fitness Pal can be used to help associates keep each other accountable to their stated fitness goals. Since My Fitness Pal is an app that records how often a user “checks in,” others can see how often (or not) their friends are actually using the app.
For individuals who are not interested in losing weight and instead are more focused on specific running-related goals, Runners World through Training Peaks offers a free online program that allows users to easily track their running trends over time. This way, anyone can quickly see how many miles they have run in a given week or how their speed has changed over time.
The Benefits of Outside Support:
The benefits of using apps or online support groups for achieving fitness goals cannot be understated. Online support groups and apps typically require individuals to share their fitness goals with others. By revealing their goals, people are suddenly thrust into an atmosphere where failing to meet those goals will not only let themselves down, but it will also most likely let others down too. Because many people are ok with failing themselves (and thus constantly starting back at “square one”), the pressure of possibly failing others can actually be considered to be a good thing. Although personal weight loss can sometimes feel like a lonely road, joining online support groups helps people realize that they are not alone in their fitness struggles. Furthermore, the fear of “public failure” can often be an incredible motivator for many people.
Going Beyond Support Groups:
At the same time, it is important that individuals choose to make very concrete fitness goals in order to increase their chance of success. For example, while an abstract goal of “lose weight this year” can be difficult to create a solid plan of action for, having a goal like “run three times per week” is far more tangible.
Overall, if you truly want to succeed at achieving your personal weight loss and fitness goals, you should realize that you can greatly increase your chance of success by doing the previously mentioned ideas. More specifically, sharing your goals with others (making your goals public) and avoiding abstract goals (making your goals concrete) should help you get on the path to improved personal fitness. Although it is really up to you to take the first steps, it’s ok to use the motivation of others to help you keep going.
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This article was composed by Karl Stockton for the team at best delivery pizza.
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