5 Reasons to Build a Wellness Support Team

Have you ever noticed how elite athletes seem to travel with a support team? Depending on their preferred sport, that team may include coaches, equipment managers, and for teams, they usually have their own team doctors. Those of us who are just trying to improve our wellness probably don’t need a team like that, but we could benefit from a Wellness Support Team.

Now I’m not necessarily talking about an official team here. I’m just talking about surrounding ourselves with people who support us in taking care of ourselves and living the healthy lifestyle we want to live. Of course, we Health Coaches, Personal Trainers, and Nutritionists may also be part of that team.

As we talked about in What Is Social Wellness, when I worked with weight-loss clients, one of the key predictors of success was whether they had a supportive social network (family and friends). If they had no outside support, they were not as likely to succeed with their weight-loss goals. That’s not to say they couldn’t succeed, but the success rate was much higher for people who had a support system in place. BUT those same close connections can sabotage our efforts if we’re not careful. For example, the person who keeps bringing the foods you love into the house when you’re trying not to eat them….

Having people in your life who will support your wellness efforts can help in quite a few ways. Here are 5 ways building a support team can help:

Reasons to Build Your Wellness Support Team

1. Having a support team can help you keep going when the going gets tough.

As I’m sure you already know, trying to improve areas of our wellness can be hard to stick with. We get tired, or bored, or life just gets in the way sometimes. Having someone come alongside us can keep us putting one foot in front of the other even when we don’t really feel like it.

2. Having social support can help us handle stress better.

I recently read an article in PubMed (1) that referenced the study, The psychobiology of depression and resilience to stress: Implications for prevention and treatment, that found, “Overall, it appears that positive social support of high quality can enhance resilience to stress, help protect against developing trauma-related psychopathology, decrease the functional consequences of trauma-induced disorders, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and reduce medical morbidity and mortality.”

3. Having friends ‘along for the ride’ can make things a lot more fun.

Whether it’s having company on a walk, doing a group fitness class, or cooking a healthy meal, sharing it with someone else can make you enjoy it more.

Two people taking a break after exercising with text overlay: Exercising with friends is a great way to have fun while training and will also keep you accountable. It’s also one of the ways you can balance fitness with a busy lifestyle by combining socializing with exercise. When you know there’s someone else counting on you to show up for your workout, you are much more likely to go.

4. Your team can hold you accountable.

Have you ever noticed when people are depending on you, you’ll make sure you don’t let them down? Sometimes just knowing someone is rooting for us gives us accountability. We don’t want to let them down, so we make sure we do what we said we would.

5. Having a wellness support team can help you be more successful long-term.

That’s because when you’ve surrounded yourself with people who support your wellness goals (and may even have their own) you’re much more likely to continue this healthy lifestyle long-term. Have you heard that old saying that you become like the five people you spend the most time with? There really is some truth in that.

Let your team know what you need.

As you’re building your support team, it’s important to let them know the best way they can support you. You’re driving this wellness train – your people want to support you, but they may not know how to help – so you may have to tell them exactly what you need. Doing that can make it much easier for them to support you in the way that works best for you. And just think — you may become each other’s Wellness Support Team.

Do you have a Wellness Support Team? Have you found them to be helpful in maintaining a healthy lifestyle or forming new healthy habits? Please share!

Blessings,

~Terri

Sharing is caring! If this helped you in any way, please share with your friends!

Hands stacked on one another, with text overlay: 5 Reasons to Build a Wellness Support Team

Source:

PubMed, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2921311/

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12 Comments

    1. I’m good thanks! How are things going down your way? Has it started to cool down any? Our weather here is cooler, and we’ve really been enjoying our outdoor time lately. Sending hugs!

      1. We had a cold front that brought the temps down to the 80’s but not Fall in Texas yet. In the early 80’s Fall would come the second week of September. Now we have no idea when it’s coming. I am enjoying the cooler weather so I can spend time outdoors with my flowers and think of new projects for him to do.

  2. Oh my God Terri, this post is so relevant! For me, when things get tough or I’m stressed about something that I can’t wrap my head around, I rely so much from my family and friends for support. Just them being there to listen, to share their experiences, give advice and be an emotional cheerleader for me is priceless. I had to talk with my wife and friends last week on important career advice and each one of them gave useful tips that helped me to make a decision. You truly have timely posts that correlate to what’s happening in my life. Your posts are truly, truly educational!

    1. I’m so glad this was so relevant for you Mark! I know what you mean about relying on your family and friends for support. I always say I don’t know what I’d do without my hubby, the rest of my family, and my best friend. They can see things in you that you can’t always see in yourself, and your significant other is more likely to tell you the truth, even if you might not like hearing it at the time. I’m glad your wife and friends were able to help you through making your career decision. It’s great to have a sounding board and good counsel, isn’t it? Thanks so much for your kind words. I really do appreciate them. Blessings to you my friend!

  3. What a great article! I have a couple of people that I partner with to hold each other accountable. I completely agree that having family and others as a support is vital. God made us for community and that goes beyond the social aspect. It is your support team that will be there when you need help and to celebrate your victories. Here’s to standing together with those we love.

    1. Thank you so much Leigh! I love that you have your accountability partners. As you said, God made us for community, and trying to do it all alone makes things much harder than they have to be. Thanks for stopping by sweet friend! Blessings to you!

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