Post Host! featuring Chelle from Everyday Polish

Welcome to a new feature at WIOG. Basically a "trading spaces" type of day where we invite another blogger to host-a-post. You will see posts from Chelle over at Everyday Polish every other week on Tuesdays for a little bit. Enjoy! 

5 Signs Your Workout Buddy Won't Work Out

Hey WIOG fam! I do love our get-togethers here, don't you? I hope you're joining us over at EP to keep the conversation going! So, one of the things I love most about WIOG is the great relationship Kimberly and Amber have- you can tell they are two peas in a pod and make a great team in everything from work to working out. This week I was reflecting on some of the workout buddy relationships that have worked out for me and the ones that have failed miserably. I realized that the ones that didn't work out tended to have a few things in common and decided that I'd share the warning signs I've spotted with you all: 


1. Distance. If your proposed workout buddy doesn't work or live close to you, you're much less likely to ever meet up to workout. The "check-in" method may seem appealing but it won't provide as much motivation as knowing that somebody is there in the flesh, waiting for you, watching you and cheering you on. 


2. Too Nice. I've teamed up as "chubby-buddies" with some of my closest friends and I find that the ones who are super-nice were never able to provide as much motivation as the ones who weren't afraid to be brutally honest and harsh at times. My most successful diet buddy once wrestled a Fun-Size piece of candy out of my hand and threw it away while I stood there, mouth agape - I lost 17 pounds in a month under her watchful eye. 


3. Different Fitness Levels. If you just want to make it through beginner Zumba and your workout buddy is training for her seventh marathon, chances are you'll fall out of sync very quickly. I find that I workout best with friends around my fitness level because we can progress at the same time and tend to have similar goals. 


4. Non-Competitive. Sometimes the best workout buddy is a borderline "frenemy" (doesn't every gal have one?) because she's most likely to fuel your competitive spirit. When your workout buddy is the friend who responds to your 6am "Dude, I'm way too tired to get to the gym today," call by agreeing sleepily and later lamenting over how unmotivated you both are as you split a box of Krispy Kremes, I promise you, it's not going to yield the results you want. Pair yourself up with the friend who you can't stand to lose to - seeing her go hard will push you as well (because seriously, keeping up with her will feel better than "beating" the people on the treadmills beside you who you pretend to race in your head). Don't go crazy now though, keep it Venus and Serena- both winners and all love at the end of the day. 


5. Fear of Letting Him See You Sweat. Some people advocate working out with people you want to impress as a means of staying motivated. For myself, I find that the opposite is true. When I'm too consumed with looking good in front of my workout buddy, I often lose focus and don't go as hard as I should or shy away from trying new workouts (btw, if you look good at the end of it, you're not pushing hard enough). My best workout buddies have been the ones whose opinion I cared enough about to stay accountable to, but not so much that I worried about looking like a fool in front of them when I can't keep up in beginner Zumba (Oh Zumba...) so I could just let go and get into the workout. What's your experience been with finding a workout buddy? What works and what doesn't? Leave a comment or email me at everydaypolish@gmail.com and let us know!