Positive peer pressure can be a wonderful, glorious thing and in this blog posting I am going to give you advice on what to do to create a squad that holds you accountable and raises your fitness game to the next level. Working out can suck, but if you got a strong core of people surrounding you maybe hauling to the gym won’t be so bad after all.

We all have people in our life that want to see us succeed, that can be in our careers, in our love lives, or becoming more fit and a healthier person. And one thing I have become very aware of is people that fail in at their fitness goals, are doing it alone. I have seen people who have struggled with weight year after year after year. Why? They do not have the support they need. Where are there cheerleaders? Who is holding them accountable, keeping up their motivation, praising their successes? The truth is nobody’s around. They have no one to turn to and say I just ran for a mile without stopping, or I just did 50 sit-ups consecutively! Now if you a part of a group, and not just any group, a group that you create to help you succeed then you can find you have no limits when it comes to reaching your fitness goals.

I have found that the people that are being held accountable just succeed more and they do it quicker than their counterparts. Creating a fitness squad is powerful. You have others around you that check-in, offer support, and there is always someone to call you on your bullshit when you want to make excuses to miss your workouts. The key is forming the right fitness squad and this might not be just anyone you normally hang out with. I know your mom loves you but look if she isn’t working out regularly or trying to get healthy then let her love you and she doesn’t pass the fitness squad test. You want a solid group that is trying to do the same things you are. Not the person that will most likely want you to skip your workout and instead go grab drinks.

Forming the squad is important so you need to find a few good people, men or women that are interested in getting healthier. Get the word out via Facebook, email some friends, ask others around the water cooler at work, but strive to get 5 or 6 people to participate. Next, once the group is formed start a group text message or some form of communication that all your are on at once, then form some ground rules. Are you going to meet and work out together? Or are you simply going to post once a day that you did something healthy like going for a walk? Are you going to create challenges that everyone in the group has to do that day and post about it? There are ways to challenge each other and make it fun, so brainstorm and agree to hold each other accountable. One recommendation is that each week a person in your group gets to make up a new rule or challenge for the week. The intention is not to be an impossible challenge, but one to keep the group motivated and accountable. Money is always a good source of motivation. Maybe each person throws in $50 for the month and if they do not meet the challenges in the time allotted they forfeit $5 back to the group.

I have also found that a little rubbing in successes and even a little name calling can help keep your squad staying together. Competition never hurt anyone. Encourage each other to share what is working and not working and if you find a new recipe that is delicious and good for you too, share it out. All push each other to the goal and celebrate the success together.

At Ish Fitness, I want to be a part of your squad. I offer group fitness classes that your entire squad can come to on Saturday mornings and start the weekend off right. I am here to help you but you have to want to put in the work. At Ish Fitness we take achieving your health and fitness goals seriously. Get your squad going and let’s take your fitness to the next level. If you want to learn more, give me a call at 402-208-7401.