Want to Lose Weight? Be More Social!
Making the decision to lose weight is an important first step towards getting healthy. There are a wide variety of ways to lose weight. The top contenders are-
* Eat less
* Exercise
* Find a diet lifestyle that motivates you
AND
* Be more social!
Thatís right, being social can help you lose weight. Being social increases the likelihood youíll drop pounds and keep them off for the long haul.
How does being more social help with weight loss?
Being social during your weight loss journey makes perfect sense. Having a tribe of people around you can help you be more successful and less likely to make poor choices with your health. Hereís how-
* Being social is distracting
* Being social provides support
* Being social keeps you accountable
* Being social makes you happier
Your social calendar can help you lose weight- When you are busy hanging out with friends or participating in activities you enjoy you are less likely to overeat or binge. Being busy and having fun things to do makes it much easier to focus on your health while youíre having a great time.
Friends help friends reach their goals- Your social circle is an excellent way to stay fit. Sharing your goals to lose weight and get healthy is easier when you are part of a team. Some people enjoy socializing at the gym, in weight loss groups or forums, or simply engaging in daily exercise with a close friend.
Staying accountable is easier when you have a tribe- When you are isolated no one will know if you fall off track or backslide. Having a healthy social outlet during weight loss helps you with accountability and provides support when you may want to give up or things get tough.
Happy people take better care of themselves- Sometimes weight conditions happen when people are sad or lonely. Having a healthy social life can help you feel happier and give you the energy boost you need to stay on track and lose the weight.
Thereís no doubt that losing weight can be a challenge, but you can increase the likelihood youíll experience successful weight loss simply by being more social. Include friends, family, or fellow people looking to lose weight alongside you on your journey and have fun while you lose those pounds.
3 Unexpected Health Benefits of Being Social
The obvious benefits of being social are having fun and being part of a community. Humans are designed to be social creatures and live in groups depending on one another emotionally, physically, and in other important ways. What you may not have considered are the unexpected health benefits of being social.
Being social affects your mental and your physical health. That means to the same degree you develop a happy social life, no matter your age, you can expect to experience better health.
Your happy social life increases your mood
Our moods are reactive to many things. Chemicals in our bodies, shifts in hormones, or other physiological goings-on affect our mood. Additionally, our day-to-day activities affect our mood. The more social we are and the more positive and happy things we have to look forward to, the better our mood.
Have you ever woken up on the wrong side of the bed and felt destined to have a bad day only to encounter a great friend for a cup of coffee and feel better? This is an example of how having a healthy and happy social life can increase our mood.
Your happy social life can restore your memory
Dementia or loss of cognitive function is a worry for anyone middle-aged and older. An understimulated mind is at risk for memory loss or loss of cognitive ability. The good news is, developing a happy social life can actually restore memory and cognition. Finding fun ways to be social and stimulate your mind and your enthusiasm not only prevents memory issues but may restore them.
Your happy social life could prevent a stroke
Believe it or not, hanging out with friends could prevent a stroke. Thatís because being isolated and lonely can increase inflammation and blood pressure. Left in a high state of stress or anxiety, people are at greater risk for stroke, heart attack or other life-threatening issues. Hanging out with friends two to three times per week or engaging in a social activity that brings you joy can help you reduce your blood pressure and ease inflammation giving your body the healthy boost it needs.
There is much more to being social than having a good time. Being social can help you be healthier and live longer. Making healthy social activities part of your daily routine is an excellent way to stay healthy while you have fun.
Your Social Life is Meant to Shift Over Time
Your social life isnít meant to be a one-and-done situation. As a matter of fact, your social life should shift over time. In the same way, you arenít the same person you were a year ago, your social life isnít meant to stand still either.
Our lives are an evolution. What we find interesting, intriguing, and fun changes. That means our social lives and how we recreate or spend our free time is going to look different over the years.
Some people have a hard time shifting their focus from the friends and activities that once brought them a lot of happiness, but sometimes holding on to people and activities can actually hold you back. Itís important to be willing to make changes in what you love to do and who you love to do it with without feeling guilty.
As you mature what you want to do changes
Over time, what you like to do for fun and how you like to socialize will surely change. When you are younger, you might choose friends for entirely different reasons than you do later in life. What you have in common shifts, or how you like to recreate morphs. Itís important to allow yourself to grow and change over time.
As you move through life you are able to do bigger and better things
Economics can play a factor in how you socialize. You may have more income and be able to do bigger and better things over time. Itís a great time to increase your options or try something new. There is nothing wrong with leaving an old social activity behind to enjoy something new and exciting.
The more you know, the more you do
Sometimes you arenít aware of whatís out there for a good time. You may not have known of the options out there to learn more, do more, or be more. Over time you become aware of what is out there to engage in during your free time. As you know more about whatís available itís important to shift and grow and try new things.
Your social life is meant to shift over time. You canít expect to stay in the same social circle doing the same things for your entire life. As you grow and mature, your tastes change, your economics change, and you become more aware of all the opportunities in life. Embrace an ever-evolving social life and enjoy the benefits of new and exciting social opportunities.
Social Media Could Make It Harder to be Social
Social media is amazing. That ability to connect with people easily and consume amazing amounts of content is pretty normal nowadays. There are many wonderful things about social media that canít be denied-
* Staying in touch with family and friends
* Sharing information
* Communicating beliefs and opinions
* Easy access to unlimited information
Each of these aspects of social media enriches our lives and makes it better when put into the context of a well-rounded life. When social media is a tool used in conjunction with other tools, it is a positive and appropriate way to be social and connected but, social media could make it harder to be social if weíre not careful.
The very same things that make social media amazing can potentially make it hazardous. The attention we pay to social media can take our attention away from other important things. Spending hours looking at a screen trying to ìconnectî isnít true connection. Itís important to be present and engage in social activities that arenít electronic.
People tend to spend an astonishing amount of time on social media. They are glued to a smart phone or desktop looking at life through a social media platform. Though it is possible to engage others and be social, it is somewhat of an artificial form of socialization. Hereís why-
Social media is void of natural engagement- Sliding into someoneís DMís or commenting on a social media post is an artificial form of communication. When you message someone or leave a comment, youíre likely leaving a highly curated thought that youíve edited. That means you may be more or less genuine than you would be if you were in a face-to-face conversation. Over time, people can stunt their interpersonal social skills and become socially awkward when it comes to holding a conversation in person.
Social media is a highlight reel- Posts tend to be highly edited and pictures tend to be the best version of ourselves possible. This projects a sense of perfection that isn’t always accurate. It can create a sense of imposter syndrome on the part of the person posting and a sense of inadequacy on the part of the person viewing the material. Both cases end up with people masquerading who they truly are and intensifying their sense of insecurity.
Social media takes our attention off the present- Quite literally, social media can take our attention off the here and now. Looking at a screen while in the presence of friends and family can distract us from being social with the people in the room. Also, looking at a screen while doing activities like commuting, waiting in line, dining out, or other tasks can rule out meeting someone organically in the community.
Much of being social has to do with being out in society. Learning to engage other people, connect with people, and build relationships happen face to face and in real life. Social media has the potential to steal our attention and reduce the amount of human contact we have. Itís important to use social media as one of many tools to stay connected and make friends but itís vital to make certain you are in control of your social media usage rather than it being in control of you.