It’s not a stretch to say that weight loss is a top concern for many of us right now. The question is, how can we make it easier to loose weight? One of the main concerns we have is how our friends may be affecting our weight loss. We also know that there are things you can do to keep your friends from bugging you about losing weight , and make them less likely to bring up weight loss in conversation.
Your friends can change the way you look, but not always in a good way. Social support, on the other hand, can be a very positive influence. Having a supportive network of friends can keep you from feeling so alone. It can also help you keep the weight off. A 2003 study of more than 3,500 women showed that “social support was inversely related to body mass index (BMI) in both observational studies and controlled experiments.” More support means a healthier body. In a long-term study of more than 200 middle-aged and older women, those with a supportive social network were less likely to gain weight over the next decade than those without support. The researchers concluded that “the link between social support
When I first started working at the gym, I found it was incredibly hard to make it through my daily workouts. The first problem is that there is not enough “clarity”. Read more about support healthy lifestyle and let us know what you think.
About 20 members of the PN Team — people from all over the world – will gather in one place next week for our annual PN Team meeting. And I’m looking forward to it.
Not only do these meetings provide an excellent opportunity for us to catch up and discuss what’s going on in our daily job, but they also provide an opportunity for us to network. They also allow us to participate in group exercises, have meals together, and pick each other’s brains about crucial fitness and nutrition themes.
To be honest, I enjoy spending time with this “social network” of mine.
I used to think of this as “simply some folks – who share my interest for health and fitness – getting together to talk shop” before I learnt about “the power of social networks.”
However, I’ve come to realize that the preceding explanation doesn’t quite represent what’s going on. Rather, by gathering in this manner, we are utilizing one of the most potent life-altering instruments at our disposal.
The significance of social networks that isn’t well known
Dr. Nicholas Christakis, a pioneer in the field of health and social networks, discusses the extraordinarily profound (and almost invisible) influence that our social network has on our actions, attitudes, and – ultimately – who we become in the video below.
He even goes so far as to say that our personal body size (as well as our overall happiness) is heavily influenced by our social circle. Take a look and ready to be blown away:
Even I was surprised by how far-reaching and powerful the social network impact is after seeing this video.
I mean, I can see how having obese friends increases our chances of becoming obese by 45 percent. However, it’s absurd to believe that our friends’ friends – and our friends’ friends’ friends – may have an impact on our chances of being obese.
Furthermore, I find it fascinating that not just our bodily size, but also our attitudes and behaviors, including our own happiness, are all part of a communal set of attitudes and activities shared by the individuals we know and the people they know.
Using the strength of social support
If you’ve been following the website for a while, you’ve probably heard us mention the concept of “social support.”
Are Your Friends Making You Fat? was a research review we released on our site last year that looked at trends of weight increase and obesity in communities. The conclusion is that gaining weight is infectious.
Clearly, Dr. Christakis’ work (described in the video above) goes a step further in demonstrating substantial connections between our network’s attitudes and actions and our own – all while exhibiting these connections in an elegant and engaging manner.
So, let’s get to the point.
If the people you spend the most time with are important in your personal growth and development – as well as your attitude toward everything from the food you eat to the exercise you choose to the hobbies you spend your time on – it’s probably important to factor your social network into the equation if you want to improve something about yourself.
Because there’s some wonderful news to share. Health, leanness, and happiness are all contagious, just as sickness, obesity, and sadness are. Your chances of improving the way you appear, feel, and perform will rise if you expand your social network to include more healthy, lean, and happy people.
That, in my opinion, is a really fantastic thing.
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Related Tags
This article broadly covered the following related topics:
- healthy friendships characteristics
- how to make friends
- what makes a good friend
- what does it mean to be a good friend?
- what does it mean to be a great friend