Peer pressure and being active

In college, I had a health professor scare the heck out of her students with facts concerning how heart disease is the number one killer of Americans. To drive the point home, she explained through graphics and statistics that a sedentary lifestyle was one of the largest contributors of heart disease. Essentially, she explained that the average American lifestyle where you sit at a desk for work and go home to sit on a couch is dangerous and life-threatening. Terrified, I began using the fitness center at school a lot more often!

But life has a habit of getting in the way and disrupting attempts at fitness routines, and a few years went by with few and far between attempts at an active lifestyle. But when I saw my dad go from occassional hypoglycemia to an insulin-dependant diabetic, I was reminded that I should also pay attention to my own health.

My focus on an active lifestyle has gone through a few cycles. First was the YMCA near where I lived. YMCA is income based and I highly recommend it, especially if cost is a concern. But I was doing it on my own and started to make excuses for not going. Then came a free alternative for me when they opened a fitness center in the building I work at. I started with a ambitious fitness schedule but quickly got burned out with no one to encourage me. Then i went months and months doing absolutely nothing except outgrowing a few pairs of slacks... Finally, a few weeks ago I joined a gym where some of my friends go. The gym has fun fitness classes, which make all the difference. Usually, I would quit as soon as I got tired, but in a group setting you have PEER PRESSURE to keep you going! Also, I'm working out with friends, so there is peer pressure to KEEP GOING (i.e. Where were you Tuesday? Skipping spin class?)

I recommend getting your friends together and making it a group effort to be more active. Also, talking more often with friends who are also trying to be more active and including your experiences in more of your conversations helps too. All of this helps to keep it in your mind and unofficially hold you a little accountable to your friends. I call it positive peer pressue.