As you strive to improve your health and get more exercise as well as eating better you will tend to find that those around you will generally support you. Most people like to see their family and friends become healthier.
But watch out. As you start to preach a better and healthier lifestyle people will turn against it because, let’s face it, not everyone is interested in change and the change that you may be making probably makes them uncomfortable.
As a newly fit person or at the very least someone that it on the road to a healthy lifestyle it is important to know when to encourage and when to keep your trap shut. I was thinking about how you can help your friends and family and at the same time make sure not to offend or make people around you try to distance themselves from you. Here are some tips.
Make sure to accept compliments right – There is a right way and a wrong way to take the compliments of others. If someone says that you are looking great then just thank them and tell them that you have been trying to improve your eating and exercising. Don’t go into detail unless they ask.
Make time for friends and family – This does not mean go out for a big buffet meal just because they are but as we all know there can be some sacrifices time wise when you are exercising and often people will feel alienated by not seeing you as much. So it is really important to still make time with the people that are important to you.
Don’t preach about the good and bad food – Exercise tends to be an easy piece of conversation because people either do it or they don’t. But when people are talking about bad food or eating bad food just don’t do it and don’t give them crap for eating it either. The last thing that those close to you want to feel when they are around you is that you are judging them on their eating.
This post may be all about avoiding your new healthy lifestyle but the point is that when you have seen and felt a better lifestyle it is really easy to use your new found energy to encourage others, maybe encourage a bit too aggressively. You still want to have your friends around and I will write another post on how to encourage them to join you or to help them see the changes that you have made and how it could help them too.