When you look at the messaging around weight loss it’s easy to feel like being healthy is an individual effort… “I’ve let myself go.” “I need more discipline.” “I’m starting a diet on Monday.” But those who have the most success know it’s nearly impossible to get healthy (and stay that way!) alone.
That’s where fitness tribes come into play! A fitness tribe is a group of two or more people who team up to engage in healthy behavior, build healthy habits, or achieve a health or fitness goal together. And joining one is a social trend without borders!
MyFitnessPal recently conducted a user survey and discovered that many of you are already harnessing the power of your community—friends, family, coworkers, etc.— to make better choices around food and exercise. In fact, we learned that MyFitnessPal 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. And those with at least ten buddies who are also active in their first 30 days on MyFitnessPal see the scale dip down an average of 22.75 lbs.
Hang with friends and get healthy—what could be better? Showing off those healthy new behaviors, of course! Our survey also reveals you share the news about good-for-you meals and activities you’ve participated in on social media more often than you share the basic life stuff. Which is smart, because broadcasting your commitments to health and fitness helps build both pride of accomplishment and accountability. Here’s a little of what we’ve learned about your habits.
You’re making healthy food choices! In our survey, 41% of you reported to have updated your Facebook status with news about a healthy home-cooked meal, and 22% of you have shared healthy dishes while dining out, too.
You’re posting sweaty selfies! MyFitnessPal users share photos from endurance events and other workouts. 38% of you have posted a pic from a race, and 14% of you report sharing sweaty snapshots of ordinary, everyday workouts.
You’re inspired by others! 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. Now that’s social power!
These are just some of the awesome data points our survey revealed. For more cool stats, fitness tribe building tools, and helpful tips, download the full MyFitnessPal report on Fitness Tribes today. And keep an eye out for our video post, “So You Want to Start… A Fitness Tribe!” coming soon!
Tell us about your Fitness Tribe! Share your stories of support in the comments below, and connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram with #myfitnesstribe.
