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How many times have you tried joining a gym or sticking to a diet or healthy eating? If you’re like many people around the world, the answer is probably countless times. For over 20 years I was the same way! For the longest time, I couldn’t make anything work. I struggled with being accountable to myself. And turns out, that was where I was wrong. I didn’t need to be accountable to myself, I had to be accountable to another person. And that’s where an accountability partner comes in.
One of the biggest mistakes a person can make on their health and fitness journey is to not have an accountability partner. There is this popular fitness quote that I always see floating around that goes:
Set goals. Stay quiet about them. Smash the sh*t out of them. Clap for yourself. Repeat.
And the quote always drives me crazy because it’s the worst advice ever! Stay quiet about your goals!? How in the world is someone supposed to get the support that they need if they don’t talk about their goals?
How an Accountability Partner Works
While an accountability partner doesn’t have to be going to the gym with you or be on the same diet as you, this person does have to care about your health and fitness goals. This person has to care if you go to the gym or if you’re following your eating plan. Secondly, this person has to be someone who is willing and able to call you out if you sway from your goals. This a person who is invested in helping you stay on track.
You and your accountability partner have to be willing to check in on each other at least once a week but ideally a few times a week. During check-ins, it is important to discuss goals, emotions, challenges, and everything that is both helping and hindering your journey. When it comes to health and fitness, you have to be willing to be open with your fit friend about your highs and your lows. Otherwise, you won’t get any real value from the accountability relationship.
While your accountability partner doesn’t have to be someone who is on a similar journey as yours, it does help. If you have a large amount of weight to lose then it helps to have a fit friend who has already been on a similar journey. A person who has lost a large amount of weight can help guide the process. Whereas, someone who has always been athletic or thin can’t relate to the emotions, challenges, and struggles that come from the large weight-loss journey.
Choosing a Health and Fitness Partner
So, you’ve decided that having an accountability partner for your health and fitness journey is a good idea. Awesome! But how to get a fitness partner is a whole other thing. First, there are a few points you want to consider:
- Do you want someone who is far along in their own journey or someone who is relatively new, like yourself?
- Is having someone you can meet in person important to you?
- Do you want to be part of a larger fit group?
- Would you prefer an online accountability partner?
The first point is probably the most important. Do you want someone who is in the same boat as you? Or was in the same boat? Both have pros and cons.
Same place in journey pros:
- Will be sharing a lot of the highs and lows at the same time.
- Can work through struggles together.
- Help keep each other motivated.
Further ahead in journey pros:
- Can learn from another person’s experience.
- Guide you through your struggles.
- Help with perspective.
- Help to establish clear and realistic goals.
And there are many more pros to each. But I think this gives you an idea as to the key differences. If you really want to spend a lot of money, you could hire a personal trainer as your accountability partner. However, in my experience, I have been more successful with a partner who is on a journey with me. Whereas, a personal trainer cares about fitness but maybe not about the journey.
Overall, you want someone who is positive and motivating. It’s easy to get negative about fitness and you don’t want the negativity of someone else interfering with your goals. And remember, accountability is a partnership so which means giving positivity back.
Seems Too Simple?
I know! It kind of is! You’d think if it was this simple, everyone would be getting fit friends and losing tons of weight. But the truth is many people are too afraid to take that step and truly be held accountable.
A lot of people find the idea of being held accountable for their fitness goals scary. What if someone sees all my flaws? Will they see me struggle? What if they think I’m not trying hard enough? And what if I want to give up? The list of what-ifs could go on forever. But the truth is, at some point, we all have to be willing to get brutally honest with ourselves. Otherwise, we’re just being fake about our goals and dreams.
To truly be held accountable means to let someone else know about your truest goals and dreams and allow them to help you achieve it. Fitness goals are not easy to achieve, and certainly not on your own.
Think You’re Okay On Your Own?
Maybe you still think you’re doing okay without a fit friend. But just to be sure, ask yourself these questions:
- How quickly are you progressing toward your goals?
- Do you often get stuck in a plateau?
- How often do you skip workouts?
- How often do you binge on food?
If you’re even a little uncomfortable with any of your answers, it might be worthwhile to look for an accountability partner.
The Most Successful People Ask For Help
It’s human nature to need help! Very few amazing and incredible things in this world were created by a single person alone. Realizing that someone else might help you to reach your goals faster or help you tweak your goals or process is a huge step toward being successful. Countless studies have proven that having an accountability partner significantly increases a person’s likelihood of achieving their fitness goals. 65% more likely to succeed in fact! And if you have regularly scheduled appointments with your fit friend, the odds of success increase to 95%!
Other Ways To Stay Accountable
Looking for more ways to keep yourself accountable? Check out these commitment platforms designed to help you reach your goals!
Need Accountability?
My coaching services may be just what you need to stay accountable to your goals. I offer both private 1:1 coaching, as well as group coaching. In my coaching framework, we focus on body movement, intuitive eating, meditation, overcoming limiting-beliefs, personal development, and more. If you want to see if your goals are a good fit for my coaching, book a FREE 30-minute Zoom call, and let’s chat!
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