Studies conducted by the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine conclude that working out with a partner makes weight-loss easier. That’s cool. Easier is nice. And so is having a partner. Whether you are on a mission to drop a few pounds, kick up your fitness or just keep fit and feeling great, having a few friends can help and here are some reasons why.

First of all, its fun! I love riding my bike, but when I’m heading out on a long ride with a buddy or two it’s a real blast. Even when we are slogging up a grueling hill or miles and miles from home it feels great to know I’m not alone.  Hitting the road or the trails with girlfriends is a great time to push the limit and work together to run a little faster before recovering and laughing and sharing stories.

You won’t cancel. Chances are if you’ve made a date with a pal to meet at the gym after work you’ll keep it. It’s too easy sometimes to talk ourselves out of a workout  if we feel time crunched or tired but when you’ve got someone waiting for you you’re more likely to just go.

You can make it work. Sometimes the only way I get to see my crew is to plan workouts. We all have such busy schedules and making time to connect can be tough.  But, if you’ve got a workout buddy, you can coordinate weekend meet-ups,  share a baby sitter or take turns hosting healthy dinners.  

You can support and celebrate.  Congratulating yourself isn’t as rewarding as when you’ve got someone to celebrate with you. Surrounding yourself with people whose goals and motivations are similar to yours makes sticking to healthy eating and exercise far more likely. Good choices lead to more good choices, so pick pals who want to make them too.

Need help finding a buddy? Let me know and maybe I can help! Got a plan you haven’t seen in a while, suggest taking a yoga class together than grabbing a coffee. Look on Facebook for friends heading out for lunch runs or planning workouts.

It’s better together.

Here's a message I wrote for the Spring Challenge at NW Women's Fitness Club. I was inspired by my amazing clients and all the hard work they just keeping giving, my own struggle to push through when its gets tough and a thought from my coach B.H., (thanks for the title idea). Although the message is penned for the Challenge members, the message is meant for all of us. 

I'd love to hear your WHY....

It’s all about the WHY.

Were you totally pumped for the Challenge last week? Did you kick it into high-gear yesterday and get excited to get your sweat on? And then today did you wake up less than stoked to lace up your sneakers and head to the gym?

How can we go from super committed to flat-line unenthused overnight?

The secret is Motivation and to be motivated we need a few stars to align: According to experts the top factors to make us commit to something are: how rewarding it is (We’ve got prizes!), how irksome or painful it is (Spin class is fun!), and how much care, concern, money and effort you invest in it (You're already signed up!)

Truly, it’s all about the WHY.

Not sure what that is for you? Let’s figure that out.

#1: Discover your real reason. Your WHY.

Ask yourself a couple of questions: Why did I join the Challenge? Why did I REALLY join the challenge? That answer will give you the clarity and focus to keep going all the way to the end.

I have an incredibly committed client who has done a world of good for her heath over the last six months - lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol level and less pain! But she couldn’t quite summon the steam to tackle pushing a little further to lose weight and up the intensity of her workouts. That is until her “ah ha” moment when she realized this “good place” she was in wouldn’t last without effort as she gets older. Wanting to be strong and active for her kids for years and years gave her the WHY to keep going and work even harder to get what she wants out of life.

#2: Go ahead and QUIT, tomorrow.

Are you struggling to meet you fitness and wellness goals? Go ahead and quit. Just do it tomorrow.

It takes hard work to reach some goals. And on the way it’s very tempting to just say, “Oh, this is too much!” “I can’t win the push-up challenge, I’m not trying!” “I can’t run that far.” Ugggghhhhh.

How do you go on? Quit. Later.

Here’s the deal: Every little choice we make is overwhelmingly decided by our current mood. And you know how inconsistent that can be! Every choice also has the potential to become a habit. It’s these habits that shape who we are in the end.

My best advice: Do the opposite of what you mind tells you to do. “This sucks, I’m stopping” means “Dang this is hard, I’m going to try and go until the end of this song and maybe one more.”

Bet you go for one more after that.

#3 Control your Fear

If you are afraid that you can't do it - whatever it is, you’re not alone. I’m with you. I’ve been told a million times the only way to fail is not to try, but that’s a hard lesson to learn. Trouble is, it’s true! Not many people are actually comparing themselves to YOU. Probably no one, except you (sorry). You don’t have to be the strongest, do the most push ups, or win the race. All you have to do is keep going. Get through it. Get it done. That’s a PRIZE!

We all think about getting hurt, about falling short, about looking silly. Maybe, just to be sure, you’re waiting for the PERFECT moment. It’s now. Trust me.

Find your way through.

"I have been coming to NW Women’s Fitness every Friday for nearly 3 years and it has made me strong and fit. My body is so completely unrecognizable now to me, and I still wonder at the physical tasks I can achieve. I did Warrior Dash a few years ago, swam in the Willamette as part of a triathlon relay team, and today I ran 16 miles. It seems like anything is possible! I’ve lost about 100 pounds, and really gained a whole new lifestyle where exercise is a hobby and a joy.

Remy’s encouragement has been so valuable to me. I worked with her a couple of years, and I got stronger and stronger. I finally came to a point where at 5-8 hours of exercise a week (which I really enjoyed!) I wasn’t that much thinner. I was really frustrated and complained to her, she said it had to be about food then. I did make a doctor appointment, but I also started using a calorie tracking app. Between Remy, the doctor, and the app, I finally began to really lose the weight.

Now that my weight is down, I can run faster and farther. I’m still using the app to track my food most days (really long training runs kind of mess up the math.) I still need to figure out what my weight goal really is, but Remy has been helping me with measurements to help guide me. I’m training for a marathon in June!"

Peace Gardiner 

Last fall, I found myself busy all of the time with work and with school, and it was very easy for me to put my fitness on the backburner. When my roommate told me she was signing up to run the Rock N’ Roll DC Half Marathon in March (this was in November…), I signed up before I had time to talk myself out of it.  Looking back, it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made for I’ve found a new love of running that I never thought I’d have.

I have always been an athlete, but running long distance was never really my thing, or so I thought. I started slowly, running 3 or 4 miles at a time, and that was enough. By the time I was finished, I’d be panting, struggling for breath, and thinking about how nice my couch sounded.

However, I finally got to the point where my lungs were conditioned, my legs were strong, and I didn’t have to worry about being worn out and tired at mile 4. I was able to go, go, and go, and although it took a couple of grueling months, finally getting to that point made all of the hard work worth it! 

The night before the race, my roommate Lindsey, my boyfriend Ben and his brother Ethan and I all cooked homemade pizzas to carb up and fuel the next morning’s race (at the suggestion of my athletically awesome-in-every-way cousin, Remy).

The next day, we got up early, hydrated, stretched, ate some energy bars and bagels, and out the door we went, on our way to meet 25,000 of our friends in downtown DC!

Prior to the half, I had only run 10.5 miles at once, so I was a bit nervous that I wouldn’t be able to finish. Miles 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 went off without a hitch. Miles 6, 7 and 8 got a bit tougher. Finally, at mile 9, I hit the point where I wanted to stop. My legs were tired and getting sore, walking for a few minutes wouldn’t hurt right? But no, I got my head in the game, pushed, pushed and pushed myself, told myself I wasn’t a quitter, and finished my first half-marathon in 2 hours and 2 minutes. Not bad for a first-timer!

Overall, the experience of training and finishing was amazing and fulfilling, and I can’t wait to do another one…. who knows, maybe someday a full marathon will be in order?!