Find a buddy and increase your well-being.
—
Oh, that snooze button! I love it. And I hate it. I’m the kind of person who will hit the snooze button a few times before getting out of bed in the morning. It’s horrible, I know, but it’s so nice to lie in bed, roll around under the covers half conscious and enjoy those moments of relaxation and bliss. But I would never get up if I didn’t have a fairly good reason. Thankfully, I’ve trained myself to have at least a fairly good reason to get up right away and avoid the snooze button all together… Accountability!
How have I instilled accountability in my life? Simple, I find friends who like to do the same things I like to do, then I make my “play dates” with them. I hit the trails, or I jump into the ocean, or I get on my bike, or meet some friends at yoga, etc. There are so many opportunities to stay healthy and fit. Especially when you make it social and fun. Community is the best way to create accountability for yourself and it really is simple.
Most of us tend to find excuses for avoiding things that we know are good for us. I’m sure someone is doing a study on this, but why do we do that? Why do we continue to eat in an unhealthy way? Why do we need to be dragged to the gym? And what’s with that darn snooze button?!
Lead your tribe! If you don’t have friends who are paving the way, do it yourself. Find a run club or free yoga in the park. Nike and lululemon are great resources for free exercise and oh, you’ll meet new like minded friends. Make more play dates!
Here are my top 5 ways to create accountability and increase your overall well-being:
1. Get your friend or better yet, friends, to meet you for your workout. There’s nothing like chatting on a bike ride, or shooting the breeze during a casual tennis game, or even chatting while on the treadmill. You’ll have add in some intensity, at which time you won’t be able to chat, but that’s for a later post.
2. Hire a coach. With technology these days, you can have a virtual coach, get a daily email reminder, track your workouts and get feedback for improvement and encouragement.
3. Sign up for a race. This is my secret. I keep signing up for races. Anything from a 10k to a 100 miler. I’ll run, bike, swim or all three. It’s commitment and once I’m committed to the race, I’m also committed to the training.
4. Sign up for your corporate wellness program. Over 70% of US employers have them! Times are changing!
5. Do mostly what you like and a little of you don’t. At some point you’ll need to push yourself beyond your comfortable limits. Many studies show that the high intensity reaps incredible benefits. I know, not many of use like to push ourselves that much, but that’s when it’s time to face your fears. Go the extra mile and you’ll see, the rewards are great! As always, I’m happy to help. I’m on twitter @teddymcdonald