How To Create A Fitness Accountability Group

One of the best ways to stay on track to better health is to focus on fitness accountability with someone else.  Having another person to regularly remind you of your fitness goals and urge you to continue working hard can make a huge difference in your long-term success.  These tips for how to create a fitness accountability group are going to make it easy for you to find the right people to work alongside yourself toward better health, weight loss, strength, toning, or just improving your lifestyle.

How To Create A Fitness Accountability Group

Put out a generic search.  You may have a much wider reach than expected, and there are tons of people in your circle that could be excellent accountability partners.  A generic tweet, Facebook status, text message, or even email sent to your group of friends asking if anyone is interested is the beginning.  From that search, those who are interested can do the same thing with their circle of friends bringing in people you may not know, but that are also seeking better health.  Choose the number of people you want to be involved, and set a cap, or keep the fitness accountability group open for as many as wish to join.

Create an easy to access online group.  Facebook groups are an excellent choice for those who want to stay connected from everywhere.  There are other choices like having a weekly or daily Google hangout, a special Twitter hashtag, or even just using a group text message or group email.  However, being able to use a group on something like Facebook can allow more privacy, and more flexibility for members to join in as they are able.

Use daily motivational challenges.  One way to really get things going is to create a daily motivational challenge.  This can be as simple as, “drink half your body weight in water”, or as difficult as doing 20 Burpees.  Whatever your challenge is each day should reflect the overall group goals.  Aim for the lowest level of fitness, and include a few variations for those who need more challenge.

Rotate daily messaging for encouragement.  To really keep accountability going, it is important that everyone feels included.  Assigning a “fitness buddy” to everyone in the group is a great way to make this happen.  Every day you are responsible for sending a private message to your buddy to see how they are doing.  In small groups it is easy to create a rotation of individuals that allows you to have a different buddy each week. This is great for getting to know each other better, and for learning how every person works through their challenges.

Give each other rewards.  If possible, your fitness accountability group can also work together to give each other rewards.  If you are all in the same city or region you could meet once per month for a dinner out, movie, play, or another group event.  If you are all over the place, you could easily make it a “secret sister” type program where everyone gets a name and when that person reaches a fitness goal their secret sister would send them a card, small gift, or reward for encouragement.

These tips for how to create a fitness accountability group are sure to make it easier for you to stay in shape and meet your health goals!

Melissa Jennings

Melissa is a soccer mom who has been married to her best friend for 21 years. She loves sharing recipes, travel reviews and tips that focus on helping busy families make memories.