Thursday, February 19, 2015

How to Deal With Negative Peer Pressure


Peer pressure is something that I have mixed feelings about. On the one hand, there is “positive peer pressure,” where you are convinced to do something good because of the people around you. Some examples would include: quitting smoking because your kids say they don’t like it, ordering a salad instead of a burger because everyone else at the table is eating healthy, or working out with your friend because she insisted on dragging you to the gym. Really, I think most people would call this more inspiration or motivation than peer pressure, but you catch my drift.

Then there’s negative peer pressure… the kind you thought you wouldn’t have to deal with after high school, but it turns out is part of our everyday life. Negative peer pressure irritates me A LOT. I go into most situations with confidence, so when someone tries to convince me to do something, I think “Ummm, and what do YOU know?”

So why am I talking about negative peer pressure on a fitness blog? I want to touch on it because I think it’s a real problem that people face when they are bettering themselves. I was in a Facebook group earlier today, and a woman had posted that someone had actually said to her “I can’t even tell you’ve lost 17 pounds.” Who says that to someone? TO THEIR FACE?

I wouldn’t consider myself a very sensitive person, so I would have responded to that person, “well you must be a blind idiot then.” Buuuuuuut not everyone is as blunt as I am. Not everyone is going to immediately notice your changes—they’re not looking at you like you do. I’m sure you scrutinize your body daily, noticing the tiniest change. But once you do start to lose a good amount of weight or gain a good amount of muscle definition, people will start to notice. And if they don’t? Who cares? You’re not doing this for them—you’re doing this for you!



The other side of negative peer pressure that isn’t as mean, but happens really often and people may not realize how bad their being is a situation like this: “Sonya and I are going to get pizza for dinner tonight, do you want to join?... Oh come on, who cares about your diet?... One night out won’t kill you!... You don’t need to lose weight anyway!”

Your friend is doing one of a few things:
  1. Really just wants to hang out with you, so is trying to get you to join her, in order to spend time with you. In which case, you can ask to meet at the gym instead or go for a walk together.
  2. Is only thinking of herself and just wants people to be around her so she doesn’t feel guilty as she’s eating HER pizza. In which case, she can get over it.
  3. She is jealous of your progress and wants to sabotage you (probably unlikely… unless she’s a “frenemy”). In which case, maybe you shouldn’t be friends with her. 

A lot of times when people do this, they think what they are doing is harmless. But when you are new to a diet, not seeing results as fast as you want, or tired of the diet you’re on, you can easily be swayed and could easily give in to this pressure. I’m sure a good friend doesn’t want you to get off track because of something he or she said!

The best tips I can give are:
  1. Make sure your friends are real friends that are supportive. If they are, they should respond well to “I really need you to support me while I’m getting my health together.”
  2. Invite your friends to get healthy with you. You can host a “clean eating” potluck at your house or start a walking group.
  3. If you have any friends or family that are on a similar journey, try to hang out with them a little more than you used to. Maybe you’ll experience some positive peer pressure!


No matter what happens, you’ve got to remember why you’re doing this—for yourself! Don’t worry about anyone who wants to negatively pressure you! They’ve got their own issues to deal with.


If you’re looking for a place where you will always find positivity and support for your journey, a challenge group is a great place to start!

I’ve had some questions about WHAT IS A CHALLENGE GROUP? So I thought I’d explain how I run challenge groups:

  1. I get a group of people together who are each planning on beginning (or currently working on) a Beachbody program (see this post for more information on popular programs), using me as their coach.
  2. I form a group on Facebook, where those people can be in a safe environment to post their progress, tips, or anything they have questions about.
  3. I provide daily coaching to the group, as well as individual check-ins as often as is needed for each member!


This is what I love about Beachbody! It combines FITNESS, NUTRITION, AND SUPPORT to help you meet your needs. Those three things combined are what lead to you being successful! If you would learn more about my next challenge group (beginning March 2nd—filling spots until February 21st!), please comment below, contact me in the form at the bottom of the page, or follow me on facebook/instagram!

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