In this article:
- You are central in your support system. Love and respect yourself for better results in your healthy lifestyle.
- Other members of your support system can be family, friends, coworkers, and neighbors. Cultivate strong relationships and ask specifically for what you need to help you reach your goals.
- You can help others as they’re helping you. It may be an exchange of support for healthy eating and activity, or you might be supporting them in other endeavors like feeling valuable or quitting smoking.
- Other sources of support include healthcare providers and their referrals, online support communities run by trusted providers or organizations, community centers, and more distant relatives and friends.
- Lark can help you make healthy choices every day to help you reach your weight loss and health goals with or without GLP-1 medications.
Living healthy is a round-the-clock, long-term endeavor. It takes a lot to make changes and plan healthy foods and activities. A support system can help. You’re at the center of it, while people like loved ones, colleagues, neighbors, and others can strengthen it. Here’s how your support system can help you, how you can give back to them, and how you can celebrate and strengthen relationships in healthy ways.
Ways You Support Yourself
There’s one person who’s with you all the time as you make decisions about health: You. You’re the one who’s in charge of prioritizing objectives, setting goals, and monitoring progress. You’re also the one who experiences the effects of the decisions you make. That all means that you’re at the center of your support system.
Here are ways you can support yourself.
- Track, log, and weigh to increase accountability, awareness, and progress.
- Practice self-compassion and understanding to overcome setbacks and obstacles, and build resilience.
- Seek as much information as you can on how and why to eat well, be active, and engage in other healthy behaviors.
- Use resources that are available to you, like your Lark health coach.
It’s a learning process, but you can grow into your own best friend in health.
The Need for A Strong Support System
No matter how strong and capable you may be, there’s always room for improvement. That’s where a support system comes in. These are some roles of a support system.
- Increase accountability
- Emotional support and empathy
- Ideas and knowledge
- Greater access to resources and information
- Promote consistency
The more widespread and deeper your support system, the better. Acquaintances, support groups, online communities, and clinical providers can all contribute.
Relationships That May Strengthen Your Support Network
A stronger support network makes it easier to achieve your goals. A variety of people in your life are potential sources of support. Support can come in many forms, so be open-minded and creative about how people can help you reach your goals. Here are some examples of possible sources of support, and ways they can help you succeed.
- Significant others and roommates can eat healthy foods you prepare, keep fast food out of the home, go to restaurants with healthier options when you eat out, and agree to keep noise levels down in the evening so you can go to sleep on time.
- Parents can watch your kids while you work out, point out healthy recipes they see, or regularly ask how you’re doing with your healthy decisions.
- Work colleagues can take food out instead of eating in so you can bring your own lunch and all eat together, go with you to restaurants with healthier lunch options, and come with you on quick walks during your break.
- Neighbors can walk with you, let you walk their dogs, and check in to see if you need anything.
It’s important to remember that people don’t always know how they can be helpful to you, even if they are willing to support you. Good communication can make it easier.
- Let them know what your goals and objectives are.
- Ask them if they would like to join you or are otherwise willing to help.
- Give them some options for what would be useful to you that would be feasible for them.
- Ask if they have other ideas.
- Agree on a plan.
Help Your Support System as They Help You
Are you worried that asking for help achieving your goals means you’ll owe people favors? It doesn’t need to be that way! While you’re asking for support, you can give back at the same time. The result can be a relationship in which you both benefit.
There are many ways you can support people who are supporting you. For example, if they’re your exercise buddies or partners in healthy eating, you’re giving them support in achieving their health and fitness goals. You can do for them exactly what they’re doing for you. You can even set goals together to increase motivation and accountability.
Another example is if you’re asking for help caring for your children or running errands to free up time so you can exercise or cook healthy meals. You might be helping them feel like valued members of the community, especially if they’re retired or live alone. You can also offer to share the healthy food you cook or pick up food for them while you’re doing your grocery shopping. If it’s another parent or caregiver who’s taking care of your children, you might be doing them a favor by giving their kids someone to play with.
If your support person is agreeing to ask you how you’re doing or to be on the other end of the phone if you need to talk, you can play the same role for them. Whether they are working on healthy eating like you, or they are trying to overcome an addiction, manage stress, or deal with anything else, you can be there for them without judgment, just like you want them to be for you.
Celebrating Relationships in Healthy Ways
It’s not all business when it comes to support systems and healthy living! Celebrations and everyday fun times together can make life worth living and strengthen your relationships. To stay on track with your goals, consider small indulgences and some modifications to how you celebrate. In just a few minutes of planning, you can promote health while building memories.
Consider what you’ll be eating when you spend time with others. If you’re planning to meet for a meal, look for restaurants with healthy options like skinless chicken or fish, green salads, and vegetables. You can also try cooking a healthy meal together or having a picnic. If you’re going for coffee, order a plain drink without sugar-sweetened syrups or whipped cream.
There are plenty of ways to enjoy each other’s company that don’t revolve around food. Take a walk, go to a zoo, or try a hike or other outdoor experience together. Window shop at a mall, go to a concert, or browse at a museum.
For a more romantic date, try any of these ideas to promote healthy eating, activity, or stress management.
- Cook a healthy meal such as shrimp with whole-grain pasta, olive oil, and spinach, or eggplant and goat cheese pizza on a whole-grain crust.
- Dip strawberries, cherries, or banana slices into melted dark chocolate.
- Hike to an observatory and look at the stars.
- Roller skate or ice skate together.
- Dance to your favorite songs together.
- Sign up for couples’ yoga.
- Be a tourist in your town together.
- Give each other a massage.
Occasional Indulgences Can Be Okay
With a significant other or anyone else, it’s okay to have indulgences sometimes. Here are some tips for keeping them in check.
- Keep them to infrequent occasions, like cake only on the birthdays of your closest friends.
- Keep portions small, like splitting one order of spinach artichoke dip with your entire family.
- Add healthy pairings, like a side of steamed broccoli alongside a burger if that’s your indulgence.
It’s a good idea to log everything in the Lark app so you stay aware of what you’re eating.
Additional Sources of Support
Potential sources of support are everywhere you turn. Ask your healthcare providers which online and in-person resources are available to you. Distant relatives may end up being great for supporting you, even if you have little else in common or if you haven’t spoken much recently. Gym members and people who share your interests are other possible sources of support.
If you’re having trouble finding support, ask around. Ask neighbors, healthcare providers, and church or other leaders. Public institutions like libraries and community centers can often point you to more sources of support.
How Lark Can Help
Finding love and support from yourself and others can help you reach your weight and health goals. Lark can help you make positive daily choices.. Your Lark coach is available 24/7 for encouragement, nutrition and physical activity coaching, and habit tracking. Lark can help you make healthy choices and establish habits that fit into your lifestyle so you can lose weight and keep it off with or without GLP-1 medications.
Click here to see if you may be eligible to join Lark today!