Have you ever made a decision about wanting to make a change in your life and start off doing so great but then finding yourself caving to the temptations around you?

This can be anything from wanting to eat better, exercise more, drink less, eat out less, and the list goes on. Our environment that surrounds us plays a large role in our actions. You could say that you want to change your diet but if your family and your friends are constantly eating poorly it is going to make your choices much harder to make. And slow clap for all of you super strong-willed humans out there that are able to turn down things like doughnuts and pizza on a daily basis, I am unfortunately not one of you. 

That being said I had to create an environment around me that supports my healthy decisions. My friends are aware of what my health goals are and we have started a trend where instead of going out for supper we get together weekly and cook macro-friendly food. We used to live a “lift big, eat big” motto where we would order ALL the food when we dined out because “we work out”. I was lifting moderately heavy weights and the only thing that was getting big was me. I was proving that you could in fact out eat your exercise. 

Like I said this also goes for fitness. I need to provide myself with the best environment possible to encompass my fitness goals. Your “accountabilibuddies” can motivate you to push yourself to a place you never dreamed of. Surrounding yourself in a community that encompasses the same goals that you do and you will keep coming back. Perhaps you’re aspiring to be an elite level athlete or savvy businessperson, training and learning from the top, most-focused people will also help make you your best! 

Motivational speaker Jim Rohn says that we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with, they essentially shape who you are. When it comes to relationships we are greatly influenced, whether we like it or not, by those closest to us. It affects our way of thinking, our self-esteem and our decisions. Of course everyone is their own person but research has shown that we’re more affected by our environment than we think. He takes it from the law of averages, which is the theory that “the result of any given situation will be the average of all outcomes.” We might interact with many people, but the few who are closest to us have the greatest impact on our way of thinking and our decisions. 

It’s hard to break-free from people who try to encourage you to follow their suit. It’s easier to sit at home in your warm house, cozied up watching a movie than to put on your gym clothes and head out to the gym. It’s easier to eat the doughnuts that are in the staff room everyday then to have the snack you brought from home. People love to see you making the same choices that they are making because it makes them feel less guilty about it. If you stay home from the gym and wrap up in a blanket on the couch beside them then they feel way better about not going to the gym as well.

I read the article “Lifestyle Shaming: Mind Your Own Damn Business” that laid these people out perfectly. The people that make the comments that try to hold you back from your goals when it really doesn’t affect them. “If me bringing turkey patties and asparagus to work offends you, maybe you need to take a step back and evaluate your own choices, not mine. I’m too busy trying to grow my quads and get some discernible abs to give a rats ass about what you’re eating.” Making lifestyle changes are hard enough without having to justify your choices to people or have them try to pull you away from your goals.

Whether it is the people we have around us or obstacles we need to overcome to create these new healthy habits the key is to building an environment that will allow for the easiest and best choices accessible to us. Obviously we can’t quit our job that has all the tasty treats in the break room or our leave our spouse if they’re not onboard with the new changes we’re making but knowing that is around us and finding ways to make these things mesh with our goals is what we can do to help ourselves. Create a network that shares and supports your goals. It’s already hard enough embarking on something new, try make it as easy as possible on yourself.

– Ash