When you harness the power of those around you who are already making healthy choices—friends, family, coworkers, etc.—you’re more likely to make smart choices around food and exercise, too. In fact, our recent Fitness Tribes survey reveals users who have ten or more friends on the app lose an average of four times as much weight compared to those who haven’t connected with friends.
Need more numbers to convince you? MyFitnessPal users with at least 10 friends who were active in their first 30 days lost an average of 22.75 lbs.
Healthy is a good look. But it’s an even better feeling. MyFitnessPal users are finding more success than ever, by teaming up their families, friends, and online social networks to SET healthy goals, DO healthy activities, and LIVE healthy lives.
WHAT WE DO WITH OUR FITNESS TRIBES
Set goals together MyFitnessPal users enjoy doing healthy things with a friend, colleague, spouse or relative. In the last 12 months:
- 64% tried to lose weight together
- 54% went on a diet together
- 54% tried to exercise at a regular time and date together
- 27% participated in a workout challenge together
- 27% tried to do an endurance event together
- 24% joined a gym together
Get fit together While some of you prefer to keep your workouts to yourself, the majority of MyFitnessPal users surveyed (56%) said they prefer to exercise in some social context, whether that’s…
- …with a friend (33%)
- …with a relative (11%)
- …or in a group exercise class (12%)
WHAT WE GET OUT OF IT
Healthy habits It turns out, healthy habits are contagious. More than half of MyFitnessPal respondents said they would make healthy food choices if their friends did. If a friend ordered a salad:
- 33% would order a salad, too
- 27% would order a healthy entrée—it just wouldn’t be a bowl of leafy greens
- (The other 40% would order whatever they felt like)
Inspiration! MyFitnessPal users are motivated by the success of others: 50% of you said if your closest friend or relative lost 20lbs, you’d be inspired to get in shape, too.
Better workouts Compared to working out alone, exercising with your fitness tribes is more fun, more effective, and more likely to happen. And when you make it social instead of solo, your exercise habit is more likely to stick!
- 65% say working out with friends is more fun than working out alone
- 50% said they work out harder with friends than they do on their own
- 55% are more likely to show up and actually exercise than they would be alone
For more cool stats, tribe building tools, and helpful tips, download the free eBook, The Rise of the Fitness Tribe from MyFitnessPal today.
Tell us about your fitness tribe! Share you stories of support in the comments below, and connect with us on Facebook, twitter, and Instagram with #myfitnesstribe.
