A guide to unlocking your potential with teamwork
Searching for the right partner for any activity seems like a complicated, time-consuming ordeal, but once you get used to the person, it becomes a soothing ritual that's worth the effort every time. While cooperation alone may not be the solution to all of your interpersonal and business problems, it will be sure to help you and everyone around you to be happier and more successful. In this article, you will learn why teamwork is essential to your employment and personal life, as well as how you can focus, build, and improve it.
This week we’ll take a look at the usual journey of finding your partner-in-crime. Well, as long as it is not real crime! wink wink How many times have we procrastinated doing something that we have planned? Be it waking up early going to the gym, cultivating that habit long wanting to do or that hobby that wanted to pursue? As our dreams pile up, our excuses seem to pile up too.
“In my 10 years of experience evaluating what creates long-term health-and-fitness success, the single most important factor is having a support system,” says Wayne Andersen, MD, cofounder and medical director of Take Shape for Life, a nationwide health and lifestyle coaching program based in Owings Mills, Md.
A 2011 study published in Psychology of Sport and Exercise found that the exercise habits of people you know have a positive influence on your exercise habits.
Another study, from the Department of Kinesiology at Indiana University, surveyed married couples who joined health clubs together and found that couples who worked out separately had a 43 percent dropout rate over the course of a year. Those who went to the gym together, regardless of whether they focused on the same type of exercise, had only a 6.3 percent dropout rate.
Ready to partner up? Great! But before you recruit the first warm body you see, keep in mind that not all workout buddies are created equal.
##Need to find a partner? MeetHub can help!
Finding the right partner plays a crucial role in the whole journey and with MeetHub, you can find people who are very much like-minded and can complete your requirements. Be it a workout partner, a dance class partner or a startup enthusiast who shares similar vibes, there's a good chance that's someone out there wanting the exact thing.
“If you choose someone who does not share a similar commitment to fitness, that can be a distraction or even a deterrent,” Andersen says. “And if your partner is at a radically different level of health, fitness or ability, you could be held back, pushed too hard or even injured.”
Another key factor: Emotional connection. Your workout pal doesn’t have to be your best friend, but he or she has to be someone you like and whom you wouldn’t want to disappoint, Maidenberg says. “Psychologically, if you feel like you have a responsibility and commitment toward another person, you are more likely to follow through on that commitment.”
The little secrets of partnership
Build your active partnership with thoughtful acts of support like these:
- Be in touch. Send reminder texts or emails, prearrange rides to the gym, offer wake-up calls if necessary.
- Be on time. Always.
- Push your partner, then reinforce her efforts with praise.
- Suggest new ideas and routines to keep things interesting and prevent plateaus. (Browse the Experience Life archives for workout ideas or consult a trainer every few months.)
- Remind your partner of his goals and encourage him when the going gets rough.
- Keep tabs on each other through illness, travel and other routine-breakers. It will make it easier to get back on track.
- Talk about topics other than fitness. The more you care about your partner as a person, the stronger your alliance will be. But don’t wallow in negative talk. It’s an energy downer.
- Be flexible. Sitter canceled? Take turns watching the kids so each of you can exercise independently.