Have you ever had an incredible friend who seemed to make you feel better, no matter what you talked to them about? Maybe that person wasn’t a psychologist or counselor by profession, but was simply there for you and willing to listen. They seemed to say the right things at the right times, and you knew you could count on them to make you a priority whenever you had a problem you needed help with.

For most people, the answer to this question is “Uh….NOPE!”

Friendships are usually a give and take in terms of compassion and empathy. It is extremely rare for anyone to have a friend who is available 100% of the time. Often our friends are busy, or have opinions they present as fact, or are too blunt or can only offer greeting card sentiments. A lot of people don’t have anyone with whom they can talk openly with at all!
According to John C. Cacioppo, who wrote a book on the subject, 1 in 5 Americans suffer from “chronic loneliness,” a condition which he says should be a diagnosed syndrome. It has long been understood by health professionals that patients with life threatening diseases have a 26% higher chance of dying from their illness, says Time Magazine, if they do not have a personal support system. The Guardian has actually dubbed the current decade as The Age Of Loneliness, and Huffington Post reminds us that social media is making things worse.

Loneliness is one of the major reasons why people are unhealthy.

At BodyRock, we discovered something fascinating. There is a link between feeling isolated, and quitting a workout program and making poor choices with your diet. Or, rather, we notice that there is a correlation between people who lose weight and get in great shape, and people who share their Fitness Journey with other people.
To further help with this issue, we created an online support group for everyone who has signed up for our On Demand platform of BodyRock workouts, called SweatFlix. The Group is filled with women and men from all over the world, with people posting day and night about an issue they are facing. Their issues might be about confidence, or motivation as our examples here will show:
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In addition to this kind of post, some people post that they are overwhelmed, and need some high fives so they can remember that people are out there who care and may be struggling with the same issues they are facing. Psychology Today has said that sharing an issue can help you diffuse the emotions about the problem, which is often the only way to feel on top of a stressful situation.
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Other people in the Group have posted that they just need some motivation to do a workout. Imagine having access to thousands of people reminding you that, “YOU GOT THIS!!”

Life is a marathon, not a mountain.

A typical metaphor that we use in the West to describe what it feels like to be alive is the mountain metaphor. “Put one foot in front of the other,” people say, and slowly you can get through a day, accumulate knowledge and skills, and earn more money over time. However at BodyRock, we have discovered that for people who are fit and healthy, the marathon metaphor works a lot better. Life is fast-paced, challenging, and requires a great deal of energy and endurance. Getting to the finish line is emotional, and the last thing people want is to go through it alone!

Marathons need spectators!

Our Support Group is a lot like the thousands of spectators at a marathon. If you’ve ever been to a marathon, you’ll have noticed that spectators cheer for everyone as the runners go by, not just the person they came to support. Spectators and runners alike feels like they’re involved in something collective and very human, and a wonderful feeling is built—this is what it means to be a part of a healthy and compassionate community. Imagine trying to get through all 42 Kilometers of a Marathon in complete silence!
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Even if you are shy and not sure whether or not you need a Group to get you motivated, give it a shot. Like everything in life, you don’t know what you are missing until you give it a try. You don’t need to post regularly, and you can get inspired simply by the sheer number of happy, post-workout faces and incredible pictures of progress.
Life is hard enough, with all the stresses and pressures of work, family, relationships, and bills! You need your workout time to be how you recharge. In order to even get to that stage, however, you need to find your motivation. We hear this every single day from thousands of people: the only thing that worked for them was to see this global Home Workout Movement in action!

Join SweatFlix For Free, And Access The Insider Group!

SweatFlix is Free for the first 30 Days, and you can cancel any time you like without paying a dime. Get access to over 45 Bootcamps and Challenges, many of which are only 5 days long and target a specific part of the body for toning up. There are several short Challenges simply designed to help you burn fat fast, and you can create a playlist of your favorite workouts that you know will keep you coming back every day for that amazing feeling as you put your body to the test!
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