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Truth: There is strength in numbers. Are you lacking ambition when it comes to getting on the exercise train?If so, maybe it’s time you find yourself an exercise partner. People who lack determination to hit the gym on their own power may find it beneficial to pal up with a friend to help get in gear when it comes to staying on track with their fitness.

When it comes to finding someone to partner with, it’s important to select a person who won’t let you bail out. People who schedule their exercise sessions with a friend tend to feel like they are being held accountable. If you exercise alone and have a day (or week) when you’re not feeling like hitting the gym, it’s easy to say, “forget it today”. Unfortunately, it’s not just “today” that gets forgotten. It starts with one day and quickly becomes a week and even a month of skipping exercise until you hit the point where you can’t even remember the last time you worked out.

My mom and I would be a good example of an exercise partnership that is successful for both of us in more than one way. My job is health and fitness so exercising comes a bit more naturally to me. I enjoy challenging physical activity and I also enjoy the benefits that exercise provides me. I feel energetic, I sleep well, my weight is at a healthy range and I’m not limited in the types of activities I can do because of my conditioning. My exercise partner is my mom who has recently boarded the health train and I’m so proud of her for taking steps in the right direction to taking control of her health. She knows that I won’t let her bail out of exercise and I try my best to keep her on track by asking her how her eating and exercise is going. Our newest challenge has been trying new exercise classes together. We attended our first Zumba class last week and I don’t know if we got a better workout from the exercise itself or from the 1 hour of laughing at ourselves. We are far from being Latin dance goddesses but we had a great time trying something new and we both enjoyed each other’s company so it was a win-win for us.

Whether your exercise partner is your parent, your coworker, your spouse or best friend, make sure that you hold each other accountable. Keep each other on track so that neither of you fall off the health train. Set goals that are challenging but yet attainable. Spice up your routines by attending new exercise classes. Lace up your sneakers and hit the walking trail. Even if you can’t get excited about exercising, get excited about spending time with a friend who cares about you. It might just take your mind off the exercise!

Instead of saying “forget it today”, challenge yourself by making today the day you get on board the health train. Partner up with someone that helps you power up!

About the author: Jami Williams

Jami is a small town girl who plans on being a "Lifer" in this wonderful place called Hastings. She is an Exercise Specialist at Mary Lanning where she works in Cardiac/Pulmonary Rehab and also runs an exercise program for people with disabilities. She has been the Harvard girls basketball coach for going on 6 years. Her hobbies include riding her Harley, 4 wheeling, exercising, playing sports, social festivities and family time and her most favorite time of the season is the Adams County Fair. She is not interested in domestic activities like cooking, cleaning and laundry duty but she does them because "that's what good wives do."