Find Your Tribe - Get an Accountability Group that Works for You
By now we are well into the New Year and hopefully many of you are still working hard at some of the health and fitness goals you set for yourself. It’s so easy to get off track with clean eating or exercise, maybe even both. They say it takes twenty-one days to form a new habit, but what if those days are feeling like an eternity? What if you’re two months in and you can’t imagine sustaining the changes you want to make? And, what if you are struggling to carve out time to work out or choose an apple for a late night snack instead of the bag of Doritos in the cupboard calling your name? The solution is quite simple. All you have to do is find your tribe. Find a tribe of like-minded women, working on their individual goals, admitting to themselves and one another that the struggle is real and you will set yourself up for success.
Social media is full of health and fitness accountability groups. I’ve been a part of a couple over the years and at first I didn’t really feel the need to be accountable to anyone but myself. I didn’t think it was anyone else’s business if I ate that cookie or whether I got my workout in that day. For me getting a workout in was the easy part and although food, (mostly my sweet tooth) could be a struggle, I felt that I made healthy choices most of the time. I also didn’t think accountability groups were for me because I didn’t have a lot of weight to lose. I figured my transformation story wasn’t that exciting and people who are on a weight loss journey don’t want to see or hear from a “skinny” girl. But, I decided to give it a try anyway because my sister was running the first group I joined and I wanted to help her out. I played along and posted sweaty selfies and pictures of the food I was eating. I followed my workout program and nutrition plan at the same time as the other women were doing the same on their own fitness journeys. As time went on I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed being part of an accountability group.
I’m part of a different accountability group and it too is full of like-minded women just plugging away at their own individual fitness journey. I feel like it’s a safe place to be honest about my goals and the times I slip up. It’s a place to bounce ideas off people who have done and tried different things related to fitness and nutrition. I feel like these groups are a safe place because the people in these groups want to be there. They want success for themselves, but they celebrate your accomplishments as well. I love it because I’m a gal who always has a “to-do” list on the go and posting in my accountability group is my way of checking off the box marked “workout” each morning.
Everyone in my group is so kind and encouraging. We praise each other for killing a workout and drool over each other’s delicious food choices. We share recipes and dinner ideas, also suggestions of what to try next once we finish a workout program. We post funny GIFs after leg day because we feel like we can’t walk properly and chances are someone is literally feeling our pain and walking the exact same way because they just finished leg day too. If someone asks for accountability to get their workout in each day there are people there to encourage them to do exactly that. In fact, sometimes, we’ve even “gotten together” to workout, each in our own home doing our own workout using a computer application called Zoom. It’s like video messaging workout style! If someone falls off the wagon for their workouts or nutrition we are there to pick each other up and challenge them to keep going. Sometimes it’s comforting to know that there are others who share your struggles. Everyone is on a different journey and that is something that is embraced and celebrated in a health and fitness accountability group.
A couple weeks ago a quote by Amy Poehler was posted in my accountability group. It read: “Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them and it will change your life”. I encourage you to do just that. Find your tribe and let them help you reach your goals. “Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one” (Jane Howard).