The Buddy System

Like a group of boy scouts on a mountain adventure, to safely ascend the peak of good health it is helpful to have someone at your side.  A partner gives you a reason to show up at the gym when the alarm goes off, the air is cold and the bed is warm.  A partner helps you stay on track.  Your "buddy" may be an exercise class.  It might be a family member.  It could even be your dog who needs to talk a walk.  Being accountable to others transforms desire into resolve; good intentions into a way of life.

Staying on track with health is like walking on the straight and narrow path.  If we can't stay on it, we need to at least cross over it as often as possible.  A buddy helps to get us back on the wagon.  They will cheer for us when we are doing well, comfort us when times are hard and encourage us when we want to quit.  It can be as difficult to forge good habits as it is to break bad ones. Just as Alcoholics Anonymous uses mentors to keep a drunk dry, a mentor can also keep you going.  It has been shown that it generally takes twelve weeks of persistent effort to forge a good habit.  The hardest aspect of healthy living is to take a healthy choice and repeat it again and again and again.  It would be so much easier if we could exercise just one week out of a month and reap the same rewards.  Our bodies don't respond that way.  Consistency is the key.  I came across an article that found that Olympic level swimmers were studied as to their level of physical fitness at the peak of their exercise routine and then followed after stopping.  It only took six weeks for them to get out of shape.


A little competition never hurts either. Choosing a friend who is just a little better than you can do wonders.  Set a goal together.  Sign up for a walk or a run.  Support your favorite charity.  Buy yourself a bathing suit that is two sizes too small in the winter and pay for a summer vacation.  Upcoming weddings, reunions and other occasions can serve as goals to keep you going as well.  If you make the goal with a buddy, it will keep you going even on days when you may need to exercise on your own.  Do what works for you, but having a partner will keep healthy living a priority in your life.