Better Together

Happy Friday! It's hard to believe we're at the end of not only another week, but also another month!

Yesterday my husband and I did something that we've talked about for months. After months of talking about it and putting it off, I finally added him to my health club membership. The procrastination we practiced from the time we first talked about this until yesterday was multi-faceted - he was busy, it was additional expense, he's never worked out in his life (other than occasionally getting on our elliptical at home), etc. etc. There were always reasons to put it off (when we get through the holidays, when we get back from this trip . . . ), but yesterday we decided to finally follow through.

I'm really excited about this because, as anyone who reads my blogs on a regular basis already knows, getting in regular exercise is an ongoing struggle for me. There are always things to do, and there are ALWAYS things I'd rather do than exercise :-). Some people love to work themselves into a dripping sweat and find regular exercise to be the easy part of maintaining their weight loss, but it's much easier for me to monitor my eating than hit the gym.

Adding my husband to my health club membership was important for two reasons. First of all, although my husband lost 50 pounds and is maintaining his weight loss two years later, he understands that getting into a regular exercise routine that includes both cardio and strength training, is important as he continues his own journey towards optimal health. We both understand that being healthy is about much more than just being at a good weight or in a healthy BMI range, and we can't be optimally healthy without regular exercise. Secondly, there is something powerful about the accountability that comes when we do something together. We've put the health club on our calendars as appointments, and while I might be tempted to talk myself out of going there on my own, I know that since we've said we'll do this together, we will hold each other accountable.

My husband meets with one of the health club's personal trainers on Monday (he gets two free sessions with a trainer as part of his membership), so the new phase of our adventure begins next week. Stay tuned!

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 says, in part, "Two are better than one . . . if one falls down, his friend can help him up." This is true in life, and it is certainly true on our journey towards optimal health. It's hard doing this alone, and having the support and encouragement of others can make all the difference for us. The wonderful thing is that we not only receive support and encouragement from those who share this journey with us, but we are also able to provide that same support and encouragement to others who need it. We really do need each other!

My encouragement for you today is to make sure that you are getting the support you need, and that you have an opportunity to encourage someone else. Doing that, and staying on plan today, will bring you one step closer to your goal. The choice is yours, so choose wisely :-)