The Buddy System Effect

As a naturally lazy person, staying fit is sometimes an issue for me. To be precise, staying motivated to stay fit is an issue for me. I have never got what the fun people get in working out was. I can understand people who play basketball or soccer or some other sport for fun to stay fit, but people who go to the gym just to sit around and lift weights blow my mind. That’s exactly why I won’t voluntarily drag myself to work out when there’s a perfectly good bag of cookies available.

My lazy tendencies never presented themselves until I stopped training competitively. Yes, of course, I loved the off-seasons I had, but they were never long enough that I had to force myself to train. I never knew I was lazy; I thought I was just enjoying my free time. There was always a team around me, and I always had an obligation to run, whether I wanted to or not, whether those cookies were around or not. It was never a choice, and I didn’t think I had a problem with self-motivation.

Then I stopped training and competing. Then staying fit became an option. Running at the crack of dawn, sweaty t-shirts, and sore legs…it all became optional. I vowed to myself that I wouldn’t stop running completely, but it became harder and harder for me to drag myself out. Running 5 times a week became 4, then 2, then every Wednesday, then just every other Wednesday…

The solution? I got a running buddy. And I got back into shape.

See, my team had kept me running and in shape, because I knew that I had to be there everyday. It wasn’t free time; it wasn’t optional. I had no choice. It was one of my obligations. I had made a commitment to run everyday, so I stuck to it because I was stuck with it. The running buddy had the same effect. If I agreed to a run the next day, then I was stuck with it. I had made a commitment, and the buddy made me stick to it. If I had just told myself that I was going to run the next day, by the time the next day came around, I’d probably have talked myself out of it and remained in my comfortable position asleep, not feeling any worse for lying to myself. That extra accountability the running buddy provided was perfect. I’d feel bad for breaking a running date, ensuring that I’d make the next one.

I’d advise anyone who wants to get into shape to get a workout partner. Then working out becomes a bit more of a duty, forcing you to get yourself out there and do it. They’re especially useful coming back from a break (especially with those Christmas holiday pounds), when you’ve changed your routine for a while. The accountability is a big motivator, and you are WAY more likely to stick to it if you have someone there with you.