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Your Social Network May Be Making You FatFind A Workout Buddy And Start Setting Goals With A Realistic Weight Loss ProgramIs your social network keeping you from reaching your weight loss goals? We all know about the power of friendship, but there is a negative aspect to having such close friends. They could be making you fat. A study by the New England Journal of Medicine reveals that people who have obese friends are more likely to become obese themselves. The study followed a large social network group for 32 years and it became very clear that friends were influencing weight gain even more so than family. Why is this? People look for friendships with people who share common hobbies and pastimes. Belonging to a group where you feel accepted and not judged makes you less socially anxious. This is true whether you are a runner, a smoker, or an over weight person. You will choose to be socially involved with people with whom you share a common interest. The good news here is the same people that might be influencing your growing waistline can also help you adopt a healthy lifestyle. If your friend loses weight, chances are you will too. Look closely into your social network. Find a friend to be a workout buddy someone who is ready to make changes in their lifestyle too. Start by making a date to walk together. Or you might find that you both enjoy swimming. How about signing up for a duet Pilates session? The possibilities for activities are endless. The important thing is to get moving! Setting goals for your weight loss is an important beginning to a true change in lifestyle. Both short and long term goals should be realistic and attainable within a reasonable time line. For instance, your first short-term goal might be to walk for twenty minutes straight three times a week. A long-term goal might be to run in a 5k race. It will take time to train for that, so go into your goal setting with your eyes wide open. Be prepared for occasional lapses and try not to let those lapses turn into relapses. Having a workout buddy is a great way to get into shape. You can support each other and be sounding boards for frustration. Friends who sweat together, stay together! Make a firm commitment to exercising and eating right and focus on the positive changes in your life. So get your social network in gear! Find something you like to do for exercise and do it consistently. Remember, it takes time to make actions habit. Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.”
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