Workout Buddies/Link Up

Do you motivate yourself to exercise or do you need a workout buddy to help you get motivated to reach your fitness goals? 

I am a mother of a daughter who was born with Down Syndrome. Samantha is 30 years old and has gained 15 pounds in the last 3 years since she began working in a hotel in Atlanta. This hotel environment was a wonderful job for her but she couldn’t control how much she could eat, nor did I expect her fellow workers to monitor her eating. At the end of the morning breakfast, the employees were invited to eat the breakfast leftovers. (She will eat 14 sausages if no one is watching!) Then the wonderful workers would bring her fried chicken for lunch, even though I packed her a lunch! It’s not their fault they love working with her, but this is a health concern for us and we made the decision she can’t work in a food service job anymore and now we have her on a “small portion” diet and have increased her fitness routine to see if she can drop the pounds.

In the years past, we never worried about her health and her weight because she wasn’t working in a food service job. She is very involved with Special Olympics as a swimmer and softball player.

Sammy loves a good meal like the rest of us but I am taking a more proactive role as her mother and using the buddy system to help Sammy reach her fitness goals.

You can also benefit from having a workout buddy just like Sammy to reach your fitness goals too!

The Benefits of having a Workout Buddy

• Make it Fun

In fact, the more fun your workouts are, the more you’re going to look forward to and be committed to them over the long-term.

I make Sammy’s workouts fun for her and not have it hard for her. I don’t want her to think that exercise is a chore, and neither should you.

At home, we swim together in our pool. Sammy actually swims 50 laps all by herself (I can only do 20 tops)and she is very good about swimming every day.

In Hilton Head, we ride bikes and Sammy joins us as my backseat driver. She never learned to balance on 2 wheels so she is happy riding a tandem bike or a 3 wheeler.  We go long distances in Hilton Head ( flat terrain, not like the bike ride I took in San Francisco with hills!!) so we rent a tandem bike. Lot more fun for both of us! FYI- we wear helmets when we ride bikes, not for photos!

Sammy doesn’t think a 2-mile walk is hard when she is walking with Bruno. It’s fun and she loves this morning routine.

• Mix up your routine and try different exercise programs with your Workout Buddy

Try new exercise routines with your workout buddy. This is where I call in help for Sammy. Her older sister Lisa is a fitness instructor and becomes her coach twice a week. They go for long walks but mostly workout together. Sammy knows all of Lisa’s routines.

Going for long walks with your buddy is very healthy and social for you. I bet many of you have a walking buddy whether it’s human or it’s a dog.

• Having a Work Out Buddy makes you committed to Exercising and reaching your Fitness Goals

It’s one thing to skip out on your own workout, but it’s much harder to skip a workout when you know you’re going to be letting your workout buddy down. In addition to this, having a workout partner means you have to plan your workouts in advance to meet each other’s schedules, and once it’s down on paper and scheduled, it’s much more likely that you’re going to follow through with it.

I never skip out on getting Sammy to work out and when I’m busy working, I schedule Lisa to be Sammy’s buddy. I have to say it’s been a blessing having Lisa living so close by to us in Atlanta. Lisa is so good with Sammy and they adore each other. Having a big sister who is also your workout buddy is 100 times better than having your mom as your workout buddy. Lisa and Sammy eat a healthy meal together before they workout.

You can also do the same with your workout buddy. Grab a cup of coffee or lunch with your workout buddy and make a long-lasting connection with your workout buddy. If your workout buddy is your dog, give them a treat and a good rubdown after your walks.

Being Sammy’s workout buddy has been easy because I am her mother and I want her to be a healthy woman. I know some of you reading this blog post may know someone who is a parent of a disabled child and that family does everything as a family unit to give their disabled child a wonderful life. The last time I was in Hilton Head I was walking with Sammy and Bruno on the beach when a couple with a large adult jogger came jogging past us. I caught a glimpse of their severely disabled son in the jogger smiling with his face looking upwards catching the ocean breeze as his father pushed the jogger past us. We smiled and waved as they passed. His mother turned back to us again and gave us a bigger wave because I knew what she was thinking. We are already connected because we belong to a group that was given a different journey in our life.

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At the end of the day having a workout buddy who supports your fitness goals is such a wonderful way to exercise don’t you think?

Come and join Nina and me today on our Wellness Wednesday Link up!

Here’s the 411 on the link up:

Don’t forget to hop over to Nina’s blog to check out what she’s had as a midlife wake up call.

Please share your diet, exercise, healthy living, good mental health, fitness, wellness and health posts.  If you haven’t done a link up, or want to see the other linkups I participate in click here.

#WellnessWednesday

         LINK UP PARTY

Every Wednesday at 7 AM EST through the following Tuesday, Bloggers, and Instagramers will be able to share their favorite HEALTH AND WELLNESS posts by clicking the blue Inlinkz button below. Adding your link will allow you to show off your hard work, make new connections, and gain new followers!

Add posts relating to self-care, working out, health, healthy eating, recipes, and fitness.

Here’s what to do . . .

Join Robin from Hello I’m 50ish and Nina from Sharing A Journey on at least one of their Social Media accounts:

Nina from Sharing A Journey on Bloglovin, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest;

and

Follow me on Bloglovin, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest.

Be sure to tell your friends about this linkup so they can join in the fun too. The more the merrier!

Have fun hopping around all the Blogs and Instagram accounts that have linked up!

By linking up you acknowledge that you have rights to the photograph you are using for the thumbnail and that the thumbnail may be used on our group Pinterest board, featured in an outfit or look of the week or month, or a slideshow on other social media.

 

Who is your workout buddy? I would love to know!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Hugs,