Wellbeing Tips
So you’ve decided to lose extra pounds or get more active. Congrats! You’re on the right track. But since it’s hard, why go it alone? Discover why having someone to lean on can help.
First steps
You may have noticed that when you mention ongoing projects, your loved ones quickly get interested in your progress. What’s more, they often ask about it. In that sense, your peers motivate you and can put you back on the right track with a pep talk—unless you keep the issues to yourself, fearing that others will judge you. Fear of shame, fear of failure, and the love of praise if you succeed—all can push you to pursue your efforts and reach your goals.
The power of the group
You might inspire your relatives to follow your lead and develop healthier habits. Why? Because according to a study, participants that shared goals with their loved ones lost more weight and maintained their goal weight more easily than those who didn’t. And these benefits aren’t bound to your relatives: online and offline support communities can also increase weight loss.
Beyond weight loss, your efforts to get more active can also benefit from the company of others. The Society of Behavioral Medicine has shown that exercising with a virtual partner increases exercise duration compared with solo training. And according to the University of Southern California, training sessions get more enjoyable when you’re with others.
Activity trackers
Good and bad days
Communities also help soothe negative emotions when you deviate from the right path. For instance, a 2009 study found that Weight Watchers members are very keen on support groups and even regard them as spiritual and therapeutic companions. So if you’re in need, turn to online or offline communities: you’ll most certainly find someone that is going (or has gone) through the same challenges you’re having. This kind of support could help you overcome these hardships and keep you motivated.
Not only can these communities encourage you to pursue your efforts, but they can also help you get through bad times. Not to mention how inspiring others can be. Seeing how far others have come can restore hope and give you faith that your goals are reachable. In other words—if they can do it, why can’t you?
If you don’t know where to begin, visit our Facebook group to share your successes, discover our community’s success stories, and more. And then, see below to check out our exciting new offering for social motivation: Strava.
Strava and Withings make it easy
We worked hand-in-hand with the Strava teams to make our Steel HR, Steel HR Sport, and Pulse HR watches compatible with the #1 multi-sport tracking app. Each of your sport sessions can now be synced to Strava, where you can find your friends, receive kudos, follow the clubs and even participate in community challenges that can help motivate you. The Withings community even has its dedicated club, which you can join now: Official Withings Strava Club. You will never train alone again thanks to Strava compatibility.
Learn more about how to link Strava to Health Mate.
Special offer for Withings users: Get a free 60-day Strava premium trial
See your progress
You face yourself in the mirror each and every day. And for this reason, it can be difficult to see changes in your body and overall health. Your peers may help you see f the progress you’ve made. Whether it’s through support groups, on the Health Mate leaderboard with your loved ones or in a social app like Strava—accept your peers’ encouragement and share your progress with them. It’ll give you the strength to finish what you’ve begun, and make you aware of how far you’ve come. And let’s be honest—it does feels good to get a compliment every once in a while.