At the end of last year, my neighbor and I had gone out together on a bike ride for fitness training. At the end of the ride, he asked me if I would be interested in joining a gym. He was quite frank in telling me that he was having a little trouble getting to the gym, and thought that if we went together, we could help to encourage each other to attend at least 2x / week. He has a very demanding job requiring frequent travel, as well as a wife and three young children, so I could imagine how it was a little trying at times to carve out time for working out.
I have never belonged to a gym. I have used a home-based program of my own design for years. However, his timing was right as I had been doing some reading about loss of muscle mass being one of the key concerns as we get older. After about a week of thinking it over, I went on down to the gym (Planet Fitness) where he was a member. They were running a promotion for the new year where there was a $1 signup fee and $10 / month with the ability to cancel at any time. The risk was low, so I signed up on the spot. Here is the link to planet fitness if you have interest in checking them out:
https://www.planetfitness.com/
We started out 2023 right with our first workout on new year’s day! We were strong in our commitment to keep to a 2x per week schedule – in fact, I ended up with 13 visits for the month of January – most of which we worked out together. Having a workout buddy definitely helped to keep the commitment! At the end of each visit, we would go ahead and schedule our next workout. Plus, I basically got my own personal trainer as my neighbor was already familiar with all of the equipment and routines.
I have used the same “buddy system” for practicing sporting clays. Faithful readers may even remember THIS POST where I discussed shooting a simulated match with a practice buddy. The same approach applies. Having someone to practice with helps to get you out on the course on those days when you might be tempted to do something else! It is also helpful to work with someone that understands your shooting style so they can help you to see when you are not conforming to your own methods!
So, are you having issues with commitment to your goals? Maybe having a little peer help will be the ticket to helping you stay focused on your goals! Give it a try!
