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Uncommon Freedom
Building Your Fitness Tribe: The Key to Unlocking Your Health Potential
Are you tired of starting and stopping your fitness journey? In this motivational episode, Kevin and Bekah Tinter explore the crucial role of community in achieving and maintaining your health and fitness goals.
Drawing from their personal experiences and success stories, they discuss:
- The power of community in boosting motivation and results
- How to find the right fitness tribe for your unique needs
- Strategies for accountability and mutual support
- Leveraging technology to expand your fitness network
- Overcoming obstacles and staying consistent
Kevin and Bekah offer practical advice on creating and nurturing a supportive fitness community that can propel you toward your health goals. They share personal anecdotes about the impact of accountability partners, group fitness classes, and the importance of surrounding yourself with like-minded individuals.
Whether you're a fitness newbie or a seasoned gym-goer, this episode provides actionable steps to build a community that supports your health journey and keeps you motivated. Join us for a conversation that will inspire you to cultivate meaningful connections and harness the power of community in your fitness adventure.
Don't forget to like, subscribe, and share this video with someone who could benefit from building their own fitness tribe!
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Hey everyone, welcome to the Uncommon Freedom Show. Today we're diving into a topic that will take your fitness journey and level up your results. My name is Kevin Tinter and joining me, as always, is my extremely fit and gorgeous wife and co-host, becca.
Speaker 2:Hey everybody. I'm Becca Tinter and Kevin. I am so pumped about today's episode. We are talking about something that has been absolutely game-changing for us personally and for so many others.
Speaker 1:Yeah and so we are recording this the morning after our anniversary. Yes, married now officially for 26 years and I was thinking about something last night. This is a great question. It has nothing to do well, maybe gets burnt some calories, but has nothing to do with the topic today. But I thought it would be interesting is if you're married, think back to the hotel that you spent your wedding night in and answer would you want to go back to that hotel or not? Would you stay in a hotel like that today?
Speaker 2:and, to be honest, I don't even remember what the hotel looked like?
Speaker 1:I mean, um, I think we were thinking about some other things at that point. I'll point it off to you.
Speaker 2:The next I'm just talking about our our standards have changed and like a marriott or something. No, it wasn't even a marriott.
Speaker 1:So yeah, it was like a uh residence in type of place that I think.
Speaker 2:If we were 21, so I'm pretty sure the only time we stayed in a hotel room were that time and yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1:My point is just a fun little question. Would you want to go back to that hotel room today?
Speaker 2:we had some very extravagant experiences, but we were young we didn't start off that way we didn't have any money. Yeah, we're very little. I think my parents or one of our parents got us that room.
Speaker 1:No, I paid for it. You paid for it. Yep, I did. Sorry, I did.
Speaker 2:Should have given credit where credit was due, oh $65.
Speaker 1:It was amazing.
Speaker 2:then I remember it being amazing. I mean, it was amazing.
Speaker 1:All right.
Speaker 2:Well, hey, in fitness or as we like to call it, building your fitness tribe exactly so. We've seen firsthand how surrounding yourself with the right people can help motivate you to stay consistent and actually see results. Finding the right fitness community goes way beyond just having a workout buddy, although that's good too.
Speaker 1:So we're going to break down some personal experiences we've had on why community is so crucial for fitness success and give you some steps you can take to build your own supportive tribe.
Speaker 2:Whether you're just starting out your health journey or you've been at it for years, this episode is packed with insights to help you reach your goals faster. So let's get into it.
Speaker 1:All right. So the first thing we want to talk about is the power of community in fitness Beck.
Speaker 2:This is more my wheelhouse, I think, because I am more of a community worker.
Speaker 1:Well, yes, but in the and probably the way that most people assume community. But the reality is I still have a healthy community, so I'm an introvert. I like to work out by myself, although when we were first like, my first season of consistent workouts was when we were married and we would go to the gym at Oregon State University and Nathan Rice and I had a couple other workout partners during that season working out with friends back then, but my preference is typically to work out by myself. However, as we have really kicked on our health journey 13 years ago and become more into fitness, even though I prefer to work out by myself, I've always had people around me that were into fitness, that would help hold me accountable and that would also inspire me and challenge me. So just because I have that personality doesn't mean the community doesn't play a role.
Speaker 2:That's interesting because also for myself, I would say I do a lot of group fitness and things like that for the enjoyment of it and the community piece, but when it comes to like weightlifting, I much prefer to do it on my own. I think I have mostly done it on my own. So I would show up at the gym with workout partners, but usually want to do my own routine just because taking turns and waiting on someone else. Um, you know, efficiency is my jam and I think I've always preferred that. But yeah, I worked out in college with some friends, I think definitely had more running partners, and then when I would go to the gym and do strength training, I would do most of that stuff on my own. I think so.
Speaker 2:Um, one of the things that came to mind when I was thinking about the power of a fitness community is I think it's a James Clear quote from his book Atomic Habits but we don't rise to the level of our goals, we fall to the level of our systems, and this is such an important piece, like we've been talking to our health clients about this, we talk to our coaches about this, we talk to our kids about this, and it's something that we reflect on, and that's really why setting yourself up with the right community is so important, because your community can become part of your system. It's the people you interact with, it's the schedule that the workouts take, it's what kind of fitness gets done while you're at that, you know activity, and so all of those things are systems that either help you achieve goals or not achieve goals based on that, and so I was thinking about that. I love, you know, working out around people personally, because it inspires me to push myself and do things that I would not choose to do on my own. Currently, I'm working out with our middle son, austin, and we've both been reflecting that. We're going to a place where they set up stations every day. It changes a little bit, but they have all kinds of fitness tools, equipment, of things that I mean I've been working out most of my adult life, so that's a long time, and there are things there I've never done before and that I would not choose to do on my own because it just doesn't sound like a lot of fun. But because I'm there and I'm in community, I'm actually doing things that are uncomfortable for my body, which is really good for me. So yeah.
Speaker 2:So number two, let's talk about finding your fitness tribe. How do you recommend that people find their fitness tribe? Well, I really think it has a lot to do with just talking about your health goals with people that you spend time with and really figuring out who are the like-minded people who like to be outdoors, who like to do cardio, who like to do strength training, who's just starting out and might want you to mentor them. If you already know what you're doing? And if you're really uncomfortable in the gym, do you have someone who is more comfortable that you could go with?
Speaker 2:So, um, you know, there's a lot of different ways to look for a fitness community. I think there's obviously group fitness, which is going to usually a class of some kind. You could also just have a workout partner, which I've had all the way since my early exercise days of college, um, using a trainer. So if you're really uncomfortable in a gym setting, you know, setting appointments with a trainer is nice. They show you how to use equipment, they make sure that you feel like you know what you're doing when you're there, and then, obviously, right now I'm working out with my son, so I have that built in accountability of someone in my own household and I'm getting a lot of joy out of working out with him.
Speaker 1:We don't literally work out together at the workout.
Speaker 2:He goes with the teenage boys, I go with the moms, but we drive together and show up together.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and when it comes to picking your tribe, I think obviously your personal interests are important to keep in mind Absolutely At the same time, if you're truly interested in what's best for you. You know there's some people who love walking or gardening, and although gardening is certainly an activity, it's not going to build muscle the way that you really want to. So it's important to find things that you enjoy, but also have to realize there are some. The most important thing you're going to do long-term for your health is to do strength training in a way that you're not going to likely to injure yourself, be likely to injure yourself and in a way that you're going to build muscle mass, because, as we learn, it's becoming more and more apparent that that is one of the most important factors in health, not just for your physical health, but also for your mental health.
Speaker 2:From the standpoint of dementia, yes, and as we age, you know, after the age of 30, we start to lose muscle in a significant manner every decade that we age past 30. So it's really important that we have the nutritional components we need, as well as strength training, to combat that and really to build a body that will last a long time. And so I was also thinking, you know, there are things that maybe you just absolutely don't love doing and that wouldn't be the group for you. For the two of us, that's hiking. We live in Arizona. Hiking is very popular, it's beautiful, but for some reason it's just not our jam. So we do not choose to hike almost ever, uh, and we'll choose other activities with friends.
Speaker 2:But I have and you've run a marathon as well. Only one time, only one time, but the back in Okinawa, japan, when I was in more of a, much more of a cardio mode and I did a lot of running. I always had running partners and that was actually how I came to run my first half marathon, another half marathon, two full marathons, and it was really just having someone that I love spending time with and we set the goal together and we were able to achieve the goals and it became a way to pray together and you know it was. It was like a community outlet for me, but it was only one other person at the time.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you're working out with our middle son, Austin, and I've got our youngest son, Dylan, working out with me. He is 13, getting close to 14 and anxious to put on muscle. Uh, football season just started and he loves basketball and I'm really enjoying the time it. You know, honestly it detracts a little bit from the intensity of the workout, but it's a definite trade off.
Speaker 2:He's very goal though.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but he's also a talker. But once again, it's one of those things where everything's a trade-off and I would rather have that quality time with him.
Speaker 2:And he loves to sign with you.
Speaker 1:He does, and I enjoy it with him as well, so that is wonderful.
Speaker 2:Okay, so how do we evaluate if a community is right for you, like shared goals or values?
Speaker 1:understanding what your values are is also really important. You know there's there's some gyms out there that support things and you know fundraising for things that don't support our, that don't line up with our beliefs and our values, and so we choose not to be members of those gyms. You know, I find that everything is more enjoyable when you do it with like-minded people, so keep that in mind is you know who are your people and then go find out what they're doing or invite them to do it with you is really important.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and really I mean in 2020,. It became a defining line in the sand for me, because there were some places I was working out that were requiring masks and we just weren't. I was not willing to wear one at all in life, let alone when I exercised, and so I skirted those rules for a while, and then, when it got to a place where it was just so uncomfortable, I was like I'm done, I'm going to do my workouts at a different place and in a different way, even though it was a foundational piece for me. And the other thing is, you know, there are certain places that allow men and women's bathrooms and I will refuse to support them from a business standpoint. I don't think that's okay, allow men.
Speaker 1:Did I just say it the wrong way? Allow men and women's. I just want to make sure people understand. We're okay with men's bathrooms and women's bathrooms.
Speaker 2:What we're not okay with is men in women's bathrooms In women's locker rooms, yes, and so I would never go to a gym. That, or continue going to a gym if I found out that was their policy. Bam, absolutely, yeah, all right, so we have a couple of tips for putting yourself out there and connecting with like-minded people. Um, oh, I think there was one other thing I wanted to say too.
Speaker 2:I think that, when it comes to like choosing the right type of community to be a part of, the other thing that I look for is I look for trainers and coaches and I call it a teacher, cause you know, when you're going to a class, there's someone up front guiding the class who is going to push me to a new level and also looks like they walk the walk, because I've been a part of classes and different workout facilities where those people they don't look like they can do the workouts. Some of them can't do the workouts the way that they're describing. So they're guiding us, but they're not participating and it's not because they're pregnant or something like that. And so I really chase after fitness professionals that can lead me from the front, and the other thing is ones that will push me, but not in a foolish way where I'm going to end up injured, but just call me to a higher level, and I've had some great trainers at Orange, theory and things that you know will encourage me to go one level faster.
Speaker 2:The place that Austin and I work out now at Iron Courts the coach there is incredible. He's got me benching more than I ever have before and that's not necessarily one of my goals, but because I'm in the class, he's challenging me but he's also supporting me so I don't get injured and I think it's just really fun to make sure that you're in the right type of environment. You don't want to be pushed to a place where, again, you go too hard, too fast and you end up injured. But there are a lot of places that will just let you coast. If you want and if that's not part of your system to improve, then you want to change where you go.
Speaker 1:That's good, that's good.
Speaker 2:Yeah, make sure they're walking the walk, not just talking the talk Exactly, and that is actually kind of rare. So it is important to check that out If that's important to you, which it is for me. I look for people that have integrity in all walks of life, but especially in their fitness, All right.
Speaker 1:So let's talk about four specific things putting yourself out there and connecting with like-minded people. The first one is to simply just ask your friends about their experiences and get referrals right. The friends that you enjoy spending time with, the friends that are healthy or maybe you see that they're getting results say hey, what are you doing? I would love to join you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, actually the reason Austin and I ended up in this workout class and why I completely pivoted my workouts and ended a membership at one place so I could start over here, is because my friend, andrea, who was a running walking partner, said, hey, you should try this class with me, it's really fun. And I was like, okay, you know I already go to classes, so I didn't have a high level of interest, but just because she invited me, I went to a class and I was like, wow, what I saw in the room that we now go to is the people love to be there together. Everyone knows each other's name, everyone cheers each other's name, everyone cheers each other on, they give high fives. It's a Christ-filled environment.
Speaker 2:So for me, because that's our faith background, it's a really enriching environment. There's young people, old people at 6 am all working out together and it is so positive. And in all of the places I've gone and the classes I've been a part of, I've never found it to be such a cool community, which I think is what draws Austin to come with me every week as well. So that's really neat. But it was just an invitation from a friend and so you know, if you're at a great place.
Speaker 1:Invite someone to go with you next time and if you're looking, ask someone else if they have somewhere that they really enjoy, although I have a great place and you're not welcome to join me there because I like to work out by myself.
Speaker 2:All right, tip number two is to try something for 30 days, Obviously having experiences, but it does take time and the first time you go to a class you might be miserable just because you're doing something you've never done before or because you don't know anyone. It doesn't feel right. So I always say give something about 30 days to make a decision before you pivot to something else. Yeah, that's great advice.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, we kind of talked about this. But only take advice from people you trade health or fitness with. That is kind of talked about this, but only take advice from people you trade health or fitness with. That is you know. Leading by example is so important. It's one of you know our core values. Even if it's not written down, it's ductus exemplum is the motto of the officer corps of the marine corps, and, uh, it's just one of those things where everyone seems like an expert until they actually have to do it, and then that's really what separates the experts from the talkers.
Speaker 2:I thought you were going to say the men from the boys, but or the parents who have younger kids to the ones that get to teens and feel like all of a sudden they don't know anything about parenting. That's where we live right now. Okay, tell us about tip number four, because this is something you're really good at.
Speaker 1:So this last one is going public with your goals and creating some type of structural tension and inviting accountability. So this is you know, a lot of people struggle because their health is very personal to them and sometimes they want to keep it to themselves. What I'm going to encourage all of you with is that if you try to do this on your own, you're going to over time, you're going to fail. One of our favorite virtual mentors, Darren Hardy, says your willpower will fail you 100% of the time over time. So, yes, if you decide on your own, you're going to start doing you know, walking, some type of exercise routine and you have zero accountability. You may be great, but over time, your willpower will fail you and you're going to go back to old habits.
Speaker 1:Accountability is absolutely essential.
Speaker 1:So, whether it's telling your closest friend, hey, this is what I'm working on, I recommend opening it up to a bigger crowd.
Speaker 1:It doesn't have to be the entire world on Facebook or Instagram, but maybe you're a part of a health group, or maybe you're a part of a mom's group or a dad's group or something like that, and you say, hey, guys, I am committing to you know, working out every day for the next 30 days, or, you know, getting 15,000 steps every day for the next 30 days or something like that. That is really important and then giving those people permission to hold you accountable, say, listen, if you see me, will you help me in this by asking me how I'm doing in this goal? The other thing that you're going to do is you're going to inspire others. I know many times throughout the course of my health journey for the last 13 years when I have struggled or I've been kind of in a little bit of a rut and I hear from one of our friends that's nailing it Like I'm just thinking of our friend Karin right now, who's down over 40 pounds.
Speaker 2:She is that's just since the beginning of the year, though that's like.
Speaker 1:Right right, she lost what 80 or 100 pounds years ago and has just reengaged with her health journey. She would qualify as a middle aged woman, but Sorry, karin, I find you very useful.
Speaker 2:No, I mean, you've said what your age is, karin.
Speaker 1:I'm not going to talk about it and you're also I don't know if you're sub 20% yet, but that has been your driving goal all year and you've been so disciplined. You said you've decided not to eat chocolate. You don't feel deprived about it and you're just killing it. And you've inspired me at times. I know you inspired many people because you've been willing to live out your journey out loud. So I really encourage people to do that.
Speaker 1:And the other thing is to just set a goal and, you know, figure out maybe what is one thing that you need to stop doing or start doing until you reach that goal. Now, the flip side is, if you go back to that habit as soon as you reach it, you're probably going to end up back where you were. But one of the great ways to break a habit is to create some type of tension along with accountability, because we know well we've heard different numbers it takes 21 days to break a habit or start a new habit. I've heard 60 days. There's a lot of different numbers out there, but the bottom line is this will help you get some momentum going in either breaking a bad habit or creating a new one.
Speaker 2:And I really feel like this has been acted out with Austin and I, because he's almost 16. He'll be 16 in a couple days and getting up in the morning is not the favorite thing for any teenager. And we started this routine while it was still summer break, a couple weeks ago, actually, in the month of July. We committed to going the entire month of July, three days a week, and I basically said hey, I will, you know, pay for this membership if you'll go with me, but only if you're going to show up. If you'll go with me, but only if you're going to show up. And I don't want to get up. I mean, I work out fine on my own, but I said I don't want to get up for you and have you knock it up.
Speaker 2:And he has been so consistent setting his alarm getting up being ready to go out the door at 5 50 AM, even on school days and even when we were gone and when we were gone we had.
Speaker 2:We got a ride for him when we were't do it and I would just say hey, come with me, you can come back and go to bed. And both times that happened he got up and he went to class and afterwards he's like I'm really glad I went, now I need to go rest. Um, so he goes right now before school, which is super impressive and runs home and showers and runs out the door. It's very busy busy on Monday, wednesdays and Fridays, but I'm really proud of him for the consistency. He's now on like five or five weeks, almost six weeks, of consistency. So, again, because there's tension in being in the same household, driving together and having goals, so okay. So let's talk about accountability and support strategies.
Speaker 2:We've covered this a little bit, but really setting up accountability systems within your community. So, if you need closer accountability, invite someone to go with you to a class, especially if you're going to somewhere where no one knows you and you know there's that awkwardness of going in for the first time. You don't know the routine, you don't know what equipment you're going to need. Bring a friend with you, because so many times you can just laugh through it all. I remember going to my first step aerobics class way back in college, and I hadn't done step aerobics before, and so I got the step out, set it up in the back of the class. I think I've told you this. We weren't married yet and it was at 24 hour fitness when I was living in Oregon with my parents. I set my step up in the back of the class and then the instructor decided to flip the class around, and so I was then in the front row of the class and I fell off my step.
Speaker 1:The middle is the place to be.
Speaker 2:Not like fell on the ground but, like you know, when you're first using a step it's actually very simple, but still there's a lot of twisting and turning and backwards and forwards across the step and I just took like a misstep and kind of stumbled and I was thinking this is why I was setting myself up in the back of the class so no one would see it.
Speaker 2:But no, here I was in the front, probably at 18 years old. So uh, and then the first time I went to my hip hop class that I have enjoyed going to for the last few years, where I literally feel like I'm, I look amazing. But then I look in the mirror and I'm like no, I am a middle-aged woman. The girls in the front row with the really tiny waists, who probably haven't had, haven't had any babies yet and can kick all the way up to their noses, and you know my, my kicks are like halfway up in the air because I don't want to pull a hammy. But I have a lot of fun in that class. Now, because I've been going for such a long time, I don't care, but when I first went I went with girlfriends so we could laugh at not knowing the routine and have a really good time together.
Speaker 1:So yeah, and obviously, a lot of times, people will celebrate, you know, health goals with an unhealthy meal, and so one of the key pivots to make is setting goals for yourself, whether it's pedicure, a massage, maybe it's a new outfit, maybe it's a new swimsuit and a smaller size, or something like that.
Speaker 1:Setting up goals like that is really helpful. One other thing that people can do is they can actually pledge, and if you're going to do this, do this publicly. Basically, make a commitment that if you fail to follow through on your commitment, you're going to make a donation to a cause that you despise or a political party that you don't like. There's actually a website out there I don't know if it still exists where what they would do is it help people achieve goals by them basically putting a credit card down and they would make a pledge, and if I don't do this, then it's going to make a donation to the party I hate, the candidate I can't stand or a cause that I can't stand, and if you go public with that, I guarantee you it's going to help you hold yourself accountable, help you hold yourself accountable. So you need to have intrinsic motivation, but I believe that sometimes external motivation can help get some momentum going.
Speaker 2:Wow, that would be quite drastic. I would not.
Speaker 1:I don't know. Basically, you put yourself in a position where there's there's come hell or high water. I'm not going to fail and I'm not going to miss out. Well, according to James, Clear.
Speaker 2:that would only work until you kind of completed that cycle, so you'd always have to have another carrot.
Speaker 1:Right, but it would get you going or it helps you. In that time frame you build the systems that will help you be successful long term. Because you're right. If you said I'm not going to eat chocolate cake for 30 days or I'm going to donate to XY party that I can't stand, Well, you'll do it for 30 days.
Speaker 2:And then on day 31, you're going to binge, right, right, you have to put the systems in place, yes, and then one more thing, real quickly, as far as support strategies and this is just more from a tactic standpoint, but I would always encourage people looking for fitness communities and participating in fitness to make sure that your different things you're doing with your body throughout the week include strength, flexibility, speed, agility, just the systems to improve those things.
Speaker 2:Even if you're just walking or you're swimming in the pool, you can improve by time or endurance, no matter where you are in your fitness journey, because if not, you're probably going to stay stuck and our bodies are meant to take on resistance. Our bodies are meant to do something uncomfortable, to grow and change. So if doing the same exercises for six months are not hard for you anymore, then you're really not giving yourself what it needs. You're probably not working your heart and lungs the way you need to and you're not going to be breaking down and building muscle in a way that's going to help you be creating a lifestyle that's going to help you live longer and healthier.
Speaker 1:All right, real quick, how to give and receive constructive feedback. Ask for permission to give constructive feedback and don't ask your spouse to be your accountability partner. Is that?
Speaker 2:true, as a general rule. Okay, I don't think I ask you very often.
Speaker 1:That doesn't work.
Speaker 2:You don't like it when I ask you questions.
Speaker 1:So that's why we have our own separate accountability. Exactly. Hey, friends, we're going to take a quick break and, if you're enjoying this episode, we want to share something really special with you.
Speaker 2:That's right. If you haven't heard already, kevin wrote an incredible book last year called the Seven Disciplines of Uncommon Freedom. Thanks, bec.
Speaker 1:You know we've been talking about the power of community in fitness, and it got me thinking about how chapter seven of my book talks all about the concept of community and how it flows into every area of our lives. I share the exact strategies that have helped over 100,000 individuals unlock their true potential. We're talking about transforming your health, transforming your mindset, your relationships and even your finances.
Speaker 2:And Kevin, I love how you tie it all back to living a life that honors God. It's not just about personal success, but about making an eternal impact. Yeah, that's really the heart of it.
Speaker 1:Whether you're looking to strengthen your marriage, become a better parent or just live a life that exceeds your wildest dreams, these seven disciplines are definitely a roadmap that will work for you.
Speaker 2:And let me tell you I've seen these principles transform Kevin's life, my life and the lives of countless others that we've worked with.
Speaker 1:So, hey, friends, if you're ready to embrace the journey to reach your fullest potential and build the life you've always wanted, the seven disciplines of uncommon freedom is for you. You can grab your copy on Amazon or Audible right now.
Speaker 2:Trust me, you don't want to miss this one. It's a game changer.
Speaker 1:All right, thanks, beck. Now let's get back to our discussion on building your fitness tribe.
Speaker 2:All right. Number four is leveraging technology. So there are apps and platforms out there, of course, and I do. You use anything that you prefer for finding your workouts, and I do.
Speaker 1:I have used a workout called Jeff it J, e, f, I, t. I've been using it for well, let's see. I've only had a smartphone for what? 10 years or so, but I absolutely love it. You can create your own workouts with their premium version. There's tons of canned workouts you can put in whatever your fitness goals are. You know cutting, shredding, building, mass cross training, things like that. The bottom line is, with smartphones and things like that, there's so many great apps out there that will take you through workouts. You can some of them you're even actually working with a personal trainer in a group type of setting. So there's really no excuse with technology to say, well, I don't know what I'm doing, so I'm not going to do anything.
Speaker 2:Yes, and for our Optivia clients or anyone else who wants to use it, there's an app called Aptiv A-A-P-T-I-V and that's got, I think, over 7,000 workouts, all kinds. You know, wall Pilates to every other kind of workout you can think of. I think it has wall Pilates. If not, there is a wall Pilates workout. But basically find something that will give you either a variety of workouts or fill in the gap for something you're not getting somewhere else through maybe group fitness or working out with a friend.
Speaker 1:All right, and another thing is challenges. Obviously, there's tons of different challenges that are out there. You know, be cautious. You know weight loss challenges are a carrot and a stick type of scenario typically, so there's a lot of people who do a challenge and they will lose the weight and then they put it right back on. It's very much a diet type of mentality, but, once again, a challenge can be something that can help motivate you to start changing your systems and to create some habits and to eliminate some bad habits. So they're not worthless, but just keep in mind that, unless you change your system, you're just going to have to go from challenge to challenge to challenge, and for some personalities, though, challenges work really well. I myself don't enjoy them, but many people find the challenges are extremely helpful for them.
Speaker 2:That's good, okay. And number five is overcoming common obstacles, so dealing with negative influences or unsupportive people. I don't know, have you had any of those in your life?
Speaker 1:Not many, but bottom line is if they're unsupportive, get rid of them.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I would just say we again don't take advice from people that we wouldn't trade lives with, wouldn't trade health with, and so there are some great people out there with wisdom for us that we want to be coachable on, but if there are people that are just not coming along for the ride, are criticizing something we're doing, then we're not there for them, like we're not big um, crossfit worker, worker. There's not a right way to say that we have never done a cross. I've done maybe one crossfit workout and it's not my style of working out. I don't prefer, like the Olympic level, lifting or type of lifting, but I don't criticize. I mean, if those people want to do it that way, that's fine.
Speaker 1:That's just not the type of workout that I'm going to do, and CrossFit has done a phenomenal job of building community. I would say there's almost no workout out there that has created community like CrossFit does. I think it's probably the best.
Speaker 2:The types of workouts that are there are not what I enjoy doing, so that's why I haven't ever joined a CrossFit gym. But exactly that's an example of a place that develops really good community. I totally agree with you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but I do think that people just have to understand that your health is going to rise or fall to the level of the people you spend the most time with. So if you look at your five closest friends, if they're healthy or if they're healthier than you, there's a good chance that you're going to rise to their level. If they're healthy, or if they're healthier than you, there's a good chance that you're going to rise to their level. If they're less healthy than you, it's most likely that you're going to sink to their level.
Speaker 1:I was I've mentioned this to you, but I have my Eagles group. It's about six, seven guys to get together all different careers, and these are guys that I have hand selected. Selected, and fitness is not necessarily a focus of the group at all, other than the from the standpoint that we are all passionate about stewarding what god has given us. But it's very interesting to me that all the guys are reasonably in shape, some more than others, but there's every single one of the guys in the group is above average in their health and fitness, like if you were to compare them to the average american male. They're all well above the 50th percentile. So keep that in mind.
Speaker 2:That's good. Another common obstacle would be just staying consistent when motivation dips. We all know that again, motivation is like willpower, it's like a battery it's going to wear out. And that's where having that external accountability is really important from people in your life, whether it's the people you live with, the people you work out with, a community that you're a part of, a coach who comes alongside you. One of my favorite things to do is, even though we're not coaching a fitness plan, when we coach our clients, that is part of their health journey and so we're constantly creating goals for themselves and systems to support the goals. Each week, when I check in with my clients to make sure that they're active, they're moving, that they've got strength training built in and flexibility and things like that, so they have a weekly call where we do a quick check-in and it provides that external accountability.
Speaker 1:And just kind of from a human psychology standpoint. Also keep in mind that when you pay more especially so this is like keep in mind that if you pay for your entire gym membership in January, you're going to forget about what it costs you when February or March rolls around. So you might want to consider if you're not dedicated to actually making a monthly payment. So every month when you look at your credit card or your debit card statement, you have a reminder of oh my gosh, I just wasted X number of dollars.
Speaker 1:If you're doing the cheapest membership out there, you're not using it. You might need to create some extra accountability by hiring a personal trainer. Or maybe you're going to a more expensive gym where you're not going to be okay wasting it, right, if it's just a few dollars, it's like ah, it was just a few dollars. Also, sometimes when you sign up for a class, there's a cancellation fee. So we're trying to use psychology and rewards and punishment or consequences for our benefit, and so look for things like that. If you're someone who's just ultra-disciplined and you just don't miss workouts, then this doesn't apply to you, but probably for the majority of us. These are things that we need to consider. So just having skin in the game, as we call it, is really important.
Speaker 2:That's actually true for me, because I do pay for one of my memberships, one of my memberships. I have memberships a couple of places because I like to do a lot of different things, but one of them I do pay for annually, but that is fine, because I'm good, you go, yeah, but there is another place I used to go to that does charge a $12 cancellation fee for every class.
Speaker 2:And it's interesting that I rarely cancel and I can totally afford the $12 fee. But it's just something psychological about that. That's like, oh, I'll just go, and usually I would cancel because I didn't get a good night of sleep and I go to a very early class there. But it's like, you know what? I'll go, I'll figure out the sleep part later.
Speaker 1:And you never regret going? No, not usually.
Speaker 2:Although sleep is very important, so we don't ever want to forsake that for a long period of time. So, all right, let's recap the takeaways for building your fitness tribe. So, number one the power of community is boosting motivation and results. How and results how to find the right fitness tribe for you.
Speaker 1:Number three is strategies for accountability and mutual support. Number four is leverage technology to expand your network.
Speaker 2:And number five is overcoming obstacles and staying consistent.
Speaker 1:All right, friends. Hey, that's a wrap for this episode on building your fitness tribe. We really want to know, we really want you to know that you don't have to do your health journey alone. In fact, you're going to struggle if you do it completely by yourself. It's actually better to have people by your side.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. We hope this has inspired you to seek out or create a supportive community that will help you reach your fitness goals. Your tribe is out there waiting for you.
Speaker 1:And friends, if you found this episode helpful or any one of our other episodes, please share it, review it and share it with someone who could benefit and, as always, we'd love it if you would leave a five-star review. Subscribe so you get every one of our episodes, and leave a comment. We love interacting with those of you who watch. We'd love to hear what works and what doesn't work for you, and we really want to help support you as you continue to build strong community that will help you achieve your health and fitness goals. Thanks for joining us on the path to uncommon freedom. We'll see you next time.