RATHER, COULD YOUR FRIENDS BE MAKING YOU FAT?!?
Spoiler alert: the answer is Y-E-S

This time of year those alleged resolutions to get “skinny for real” are among us. Yet, if your progress is slower than a line of tourists trying to purchase a metrocard, then it might not shock you to hear that FAT is CONTAGIOUS.

Does your sphere of influence include girlfriends who gripe about never being able to lose weight, lazy coworkers who indulge in take-out and Costco sized bags of  chips,  or sisters & family members who only know how to bond  over food and drink?

Wait a second, could your mom have been right after all? “Show me your friends and I will show you who you are. You are who you surround yourself with.”  Aggghhhhh. Fine, you were right! Happy now?!

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EVIDENTIARY SUPPORT:
A recent SCARY study at Harvard Medical School found –
Your risk of becoming obese increases by:

• 57% if you hang with a friends who are obese
• 40% if your siblings are overweight
• 37% if you are married to someone who is overweight

Now, I’m not saying axe all of the friends who would rather meet for frappuccinos and donuts than have a sweat-fest in spin class. But, in order to set yourself up for success you must create a healthy environment to do so.

The moral of the story is that just as your social network can make you FAT and unhappy, it can also inspire and motivate you to be fit, thin and healthy too.

Change your body by changing the people around you with these 3 steps:

1) Seek out friends who have alternative methods of FUN and socialization that goes beyond drinking/eating. What about  rock climbing, skate boarding, belly dancing, or hiking! Limit all-you -can-eat brunch, shopping and kvetching to 1 Sunday a month.
2) Join a local group of like-minded women. Find fellow fit-friends in local business networking groups, on  Meetup.com, in an all-female fitness boot camp, or on Craigslist.org. There are TONS of motivated people who are already changing their lives with a little help from their friends.
3) Take a good hard look at the women (and men) that are in your circle of friends right now. If they don’t inspire you to be BETTER every day, dump em! Or, 1^st try to invite them on your wellness journey. Read MSN’s article quoting me on How to Lose Weight With a Partner for some ideas. If after your suggestions they pull their “business as usual”, then you have my permission: de-friend from Facebook, erase their number, and ignore their texts. Life’s too short. Your body will thank me.

PS- Invite a friend to the next FREE SATURDAY BOOT CAMP in downtown NYC this weekend! We’ve teamed up with MaxDelivery.com to put on this event. Prizes, giveaways butt kicking boot camp, a match made in heaven!

Laura Miranda MsPT, CSCS
Miranda Fitness Concepts, INC
www.StrongHealthyWoman.com
www.GayMensBootCamp.com
646.454.0777