The Mindful Living community has impacted my life tons. Apart from running the business and health coaching the most rewarding thing I do is facilitate a weight-loss support group. It meets every Tuesday at 6:30 pm. I must admit that it is my favorite hour of the week. At first, I thought I was only there to give advice to the group. I thought I knew better then everyone in the group since I was the health coach. Meaning I thought nobody in the group had anything valuable to contribute to my life.
Now nearly 6 months later I am proven to have been completely incorrect. My attitude of knowing it all was horrible. It closed me off from fresh new ideas and potential growth. Luckily, I realized this quick after developing relationships with some of the most amazing people I met through the support group. However, the most important thing I have learned from my fellow support group members is that it’s good to ask for help.
Week after week I saw members of the group first becoming vulnerable and then getting the help they needed. Whether it was about bouncing back from a dietary slip up, to cleaning kitchen sinks, or sharing recipes, the group was there to help. The only thing is that the group could only help those who shared.
Think about it. People are not mind readers. How will they know to help without you asking first? Anyways seeing so many people ask for help over the first few months of the support group inspired me to get help with my own fitness routine. Growing up I was an athlete but during the later years of college I stopped working out consistently. Leading me to be cynical about starting up exercise because I thought I would not stay consistent.
It took me a while, but I finally opened up to the group about all this. I shared all my struggles of getting back into a regular exercise routine. They listened without any form of judgment. After I was done sharing somebody asked me what my goals were. I told her to build muscle by going to the gym 4 times per week. But I expressed how I did not feel like starting because I had this negative attitude assuming that I would not stay consistent for the long haul.
A support group member suggested that I needed an accountability partner. The next day another group member asked me “Did you go to the gym?” via text message. While the answer was “NO” at the time, this was my accountability system in action. Because of my support group partner checking on me I ended up going to the gym that very day. I did not want to let my fellow support group member down. This led me to go the next few days as well and even develop an exercise plan. I am grateful for the accountability system the support group offers me. I look forward to using it to stick to my fitness plan. If you are looking for something similar feel free to RSVP to our next support group session here.
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