In a 2014 study done on hundreds of Canadian women, researchers discovered a surprising determinant for weight loss or gain: the support of friends and family. Women who received few messages of acceptance or reported feeling pressured by their loved ones about their weight ended up gaining more weight (about 4.5 pounds on average) over the course eight months. In comparison, women who felt accepted and supported regardless of their weight actually ended up maintaining or losing weight.

Even women who were not initially concerned about their weight ended up gaining more if they received few messages of acceptance.

Though their families or friends may have had good intentions, the pressure placed on these women actually made them feel discouraged and stressed.

These women didn’t need pressure. They get enough of that already. What they really needed was support, regardless of their apparent “flaws.”

In order to succeed at your goals, you need a team that supports you.

Gather Your Tribe

Jim Rohn said, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”

Who are you spending time with? Are they helping you and supporting you?

If not, start by making friends with people who have similar goals to you — and are actually working towards them. Alternatively, seek out social groups or clubs made up of those people. Again, make sure they’re being positive and productive — it doesn’t help if they’re not people you’d want to be like.

This is one of the reasons why regularly attending our gym can be so beneficial: the people here want to improve themselves, just like you. Talk to these people, get to know them, and you’ll become better for it.

Outside of our gym, ask yourself:

• Do the people you spend time with support your goals?
• Do they encourage you to become the person you want to be?
• If not, how can you spend more time around people who do?

In Proverbs 13:20, King Solomon put it like this: “Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.” Or, in Proverbs 27:17, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”

For more, check out this TED Talk by Johann Hari for a thought-provoking perspective on why support and connection are so vital to recovery for addicts.

Gather people around you who will raise you up. If you are looking to join a gym of friendly people and supportive coaches, we would love to meet you.