Keep Your Tribe Close By

I developed a workshop for the WW Cruise called "Keep Your Tribe Close By."  It is a forty-five minute discussion at the end of seven days of heaven at sea, where we gather to discuss the highlights and aha moments of the cruise experience and brainstorm ways to keep the learnings, practices,  mindfulness and commitment going even after returning home to "real life."  

One of the most surprising things I ever heard when doing this workshop came from a person who shared that she never belonged to a tribe before.  She was amazed that among 600 fellow WW members, she finally felt a part of things.  This speaks to how powerful being connected to people who care about what you care about and who understand what you are experiencing can be.  No man or woman is an island.  We all need other people to help us along, to cheer us up in bad times and cheer us on in good times. This is why I talk about weight loss being a group effort.  We all need each other, the collective experience to see ourselves and make sense of the journey.  

When it comes to fitness, this can be even more important.  Many of us need that special someone--whether it is a trainer or a scheduled class of people or a buddy in order to commit to doing it.  Not only is it more fun with other people, it feels less like a "have to" item on the agenda and a whole lot more like play.  As adults, we still need our play time.  We need time to let the mind and all of its trappings quiet down.  We need to get the body moving because we sit too long due to technology.  We need to fill up our hearts with activities that make us feel happy, accomplished and might even improve our body image and self esteem.  

This week, make that effort to be a little more physically active than last week.  With spring in the air, it can be done.  The season of new growth is upon us, and it is time to get out and enjoy it.  Make it fun, make it a date with a friend or a class, and make it happen.  Your body and mind will thank you.