We all know that sometimes (most of the time), it's easier to hold yourself accountable for working out when you have a workout partner to keep you focused and cheer you on. But I'd be lying if I told you that I don't occasionally like be a one woman wolf pack when I'm working out.
When I first started running, I NEEDED my homegirl Greer in order to get my ass out of the house and pounding the pavement. Not only did she help me actually get up and do it, but she was also really encouraging and gave me such positive feedback, even though I could barely run the distance between two telephone poles without needing an oxygen mask.
But now that I have been seeing such progress with my fitness, I almost don't even need her (don't get me wrong, it's still about 500x easier to drag my butt out of bed at 5:45 in the morning when I know she's there waiting for me). We both have so much going on in our lives, between relationships, aches and pains (for real though... we aren't even 30 and we complain about back aches and finicky stomachs that prevent us from getting out of bed in the morning), that it's really up to me to make sure I'm still doing what I need to do in order to reach my goals.
So that brings me to the point of this blog post. There are certain pros and cons to having a workout partner.
Pros:
* someone to help hold you accountable for your workout plans
* a built in cheerleader when you meet a goal or beat a time, etc
* the feeling that you aren't alone in your goals and struggles
* having someone to keep a healthy level of motivation (wanting to do as well as them)
Cons:
* if your partner bails, you lose accountability to yourself
* if you keep progressing on your own, the feeling of your workout partner holding you back
* getting in a rut if you feel like your buddy won't want to do something with you
Anyways, those are just some things that I've noticed the past couple months as I've been feeling like I'm plateauing with my weight loss.
Does anybody else feel like they have these problems when it comes to having a workout partner??
Does anybody else feel like they have these problems when it comes to having a workout partner??
1 comment:
I'm very much a lone wolf when it comes to exercise. At first, it's because I was so out of shape that I felt I'd be slowing anyone else down. (I used to go for walks with friends, and always felt like I was too slow for them). Then when I started doing a hard-core work-out sched and jogging, I was so self-conscious of how I was doing it/how I looked that I didn't want anyone around to see lol! I like the flexibility of working out alone. I can go when I want, spur of the moment if I feel like it, without anyone saying, "Can you give me an hour?" I am a part of an accountability group on Facebook, where we post our workouts, motivation, tips, etc - so I feel the need to keep up with them, even though I don't actually have to work out with them!! It's been a perfect situation, really :)
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