The marketing around diet plans and weight loss programmes are often geared towards the individual. Adverts tell you to lose weight “your way” or to do “what works for you” – which is certainly a factor to consider – but doesn’t that make weight loss seem a little bit lonely? Surely, the endless road to that gorgeous figure wouldn’t seem so long if you had a friend to walk it with you. This is the theory of Dr. Adam Shafran and Lee Kantor, authors of You Can’t Lose Weight Alone, who argue that you cannot underestimate the value that a health and fitness partner will have to your weight loss goals, and overall wellbeing.
1. Accountability: If you didn’t have a boss to report to at the end of the day, would you get as much work done? Probably not, and the same is true of your diet and exercise plan. It’s all well and good having these admirable wellness goals, but when it comes down to actually doing the hard work, you’re likely to let yourself off easy unless you know someone is going to ask you about it tomorrow. You don’t want to let your workout partner down, and they can also make sure you’re being sensible in your regime.
2. Fun: You may not love the idea of getting on the treadmill, but what if your best friend was on the one next to you? According to Dr Shafran and Kantor, ‘People enjoy exercise more when they do it with a friend. You dissociate the physicality (and boredom) of exercising with all the fun you are having talking and socialising.’ Don’t think “I’m going to do exercise;” think “I’m going to catch up with my buddy today.”
3. Safety Net: Dr Shafran and Kantor explain, ‘Your partner is your insurance policy. She will catch you when you fall. She will forgive you and get you back on the programme…quickly.’ When you’re jogging together and you just can’t run anymore, your partner can stop you from curling up on a nearby bench and jacking it in altogether. Maybe she can get you to carry on to the next lamp post, and then another one, and you can do the same for her.
4. Workout Guarantee: You may make exercise plans with the best of intentions, but when the time comes you find there’s other things you’d rather be getting on with, and leave the workout for another day. However, when you set an appointment with someone, you’ll keep it since someone is counting on you. Dr Safran and Kantor note, ‘No one wants to let someone else down.’
5. Collective Goals: You and your partner will more easily reach your goals, because you’ve made them together. There’s an element of teamwork AND competition, which means you’ll help each other but you’ll also try to beat each other to reach the goal first. Dr Shafran and Kantor reiterate that you don’t want to look foolish not doing what you told someone you would do, so that accountability factor – and a bit of pride – mean you’ll be slim and trim in no time.
6. Teamwork: Having a workout partner means you are part of a team, and so you won’t feel alone in this uphill battle against your weight. Dr Shafran and Kantor point out, ‘Look at celebrities. They have a team to help them look good. They have personal trainers, a chef, a makeup artist, a hairstylist and a personal assistant.’ You may not be able to afford all those people, but you can certainly have a friend to cheer you on, pick you up when you fall, and hold your hand every step of the way.