Partner Up!

Grab Yourself an Accountabili-buddy today!

Have you ever tried to do something really challenging alone?  Perhaps you've been like me and decided to take a trail run that ends with you completely lost and texting a friend to come yell you out of the woods??!! Or perhaps you've had a challenging work project that was beyond your scope of expertise, but you were hesitant to ask for help, for fear of looking stupid? Or maybe you've turned down help from the bag boy at the grocery store to juggle everything yourself, only to have a bag split and freshly-bought groceries rolling across the parking lot!  We've all done it at some point in life: we've taken on something that was challenging enough that we would really have benefited from some help!

In your fitness journey, are you trying to go it alone?

How's that working out for you?

I totally get it if you're someone who likes to exercise alone. My long jogs are some of the times when I do my best thinking, and I can get a little overwhelmed in a packed exercise class with blaring music.

However, I know that I need some accountability when it comes to my fitness goals.  For me, that's been an online program where I'm in a Facebook group with a bunch of other people following along with daily workouts.  The group energy keeps me motivated, plus I've made a few new friends!

For you, accountability may mean setting up a walking partner that you meet twice a week in your neighborhood before you head to work.  It may mean hiring a personal trainer. It may mean hiring a coach to help you set goals and give you strategies to achiever them (that's what I do! If you want to work with me, you can apply here). It may mean texting your best friend every day to tell her about that day's progress.

It may mean enlisting help from your favorite furry friend (see how my cat Lancelot ups the ante when I do pushups!

WorkoutwithLance from Sara Anna Powers on Vimeo.

But seriously! When you state a goal out loud, you give it power.  It instantly becomes more real.

Expressing it to someone and giving that person permission to check in with you on it helps to set you up for success.

(One word of caution: be selective with your accountability partners.  Choose those people who love, care for, and lift you up!)

So, as you move into this week, get out a piece of paper and a pen and write down the names of three people with whom you'd be willing to share your fitness goals.  Ask if they will be willing to help keep you accountable.  When they say yes, build the accountability check-ins into your calendar.  Make them routine, and you'll be making your fitness goals into reality!

Wishing you great success and amazing accountabili-buddies:-),

Sara Anna