Losing weight can prove to be a rather lonely experience. You don’t realize how social an activity eating is until you start restricting what you can eat and when you can eat it. Arranging a rendezvous with friends over a snack, meal or drinks becomes difficult, as you scour menus for appropriate nourishment that fits in with your strict diet, usually to disappointment as the “light bites” generally consist of a few measly leaves of salad and your company end up feeling awkward consuming delicious treats in front of you.
Mealtimes at home become difficult, as you generally end up eating different dishes to those who live with you, which usually results in eating at different times and getting through your breakfast or evening meal alone at the table. But the good news? Weight loss counts on two things. While the first may be diet, the second is exercise and this can easily become an extremely social part of your newfound lifestyle.
So, if you’re beginning to feel a little isolated or demotivated, don’t worry. There’s a huge support network out there full of people who will show their support for your cause. Here are a few people to pair up with who will help you to make the biggest success possible of your weight loss journey!
A Personal Trainer
Most of us aren’t all too fond of the gym. We find ourselves struggling to garner up the motivation to get there in the first place and when we do arrive we can feel a bit lost. This is where a personal trainer can come to your rescue. A personal trainer possesses the skills, knowledge, experience and wisdom necessary to help you achieve your fitness goals. Thanks to celebrity endorsement and increased exposure on television, the job role has a higher profile than ever and more of us are considering hiring a personal trainer to help make our fitness dreams a reality. First, you need to know where to find your potential options.
A safe bet is to make use of sites like FitnessTrainer.com. These pages will be able to put you in touch with professionals in your local area. Next, it’s necessary to know exactly what you are looking for when scoping out the personal trainer market. You should search for someone with positive reviews and numerous recommendations from independent sources. If your potential personal trainer is starting out, but you want to give them a chance, you could request a free short trial session, where you can meet face to face and discuss a plan to reach your health goals.
A Sports Team
Team sports are great for improving your personal fitness. First things first: you will find that you have others relying on you turning up. This will encourage you to get out of the house and actually do the exercise you’ve committed to because if you don’t you’ll be letting others down. What’s more? After the first session, chances are that you will find yourself rearing to go by the time the next meeting comes around. Not only will you be able to catch up with your team, but you will get a rush of adrenaline from your chosen game that will leave you thirsty for more.
There are so many different types of team sport that you’re bound to be able to find one that suits your needs and interests perfectly. Most teams will hold taster sessions, so you can head along and get a feel for the sport. Some fun ideas to consider for a thorough aerobic workout are soccer, athletics sports like relay racing, netball and basketball. If you’re a little more rough and tumble, you can try more contact sports like roller derby, American football or martial arts.
Group Classes
Heading to the gym alone may be daunting, so why not try out a group class. Most gyms will have a whole variety of options available to you: yoga, pilates, spin classes or classes that focus on specific areas, such as legs, bums and tums. Heading to these classes will introduce you to other people with similar fitness interests, allowing you to bond and even form friendships where you meet regularly in a fitness-positive environment.
This allows you to have an active social life with others who are less likely to try to tempt you into eating a piece of cake over a coffee. These people are also likely to be able to give you tips and tricks from their own fitness experience that will help you along your way. Alternatively, you can bring your existing friends along to the class as a chance to catch up without temptations steering you off track of your diet or exercise regime. Perfect!
Forums and Online Groups
With people spending more and more time online, it’s not surprising that all sorts of online support groups have cropped up in the form of forums, Facebook pages and Instagram feeds. A good example is Weight-loss.fitness.com. These kinds of site offer you a space to chat with other people in similar situations when you find that you are struggling.
You can reach out to this support network and other compassionate individuals will be able to advise you, offer pieces of wisdom and support you on your journey. There are plenty out there and they are generally free of charge, so do your research and you will quickly find ones that you feel more comfortable using. Finally, you can give back by helping others who may be just starting out, experiencing a dip in confidence or simply have a few questions about how you’ve managed to be so successful! Perfect.
These are just a few means of support. If you feel that you have nobody else to reach out to, you should also remember that you can also consult your GP at any time. They will be able to listen, examine you and give advice on both weight loss and how to maintain a more positive and proactive outlook.
