Fitness, Inspiration, Life Lessons

Facebook Friends with Fitness Benefits

Leading 21 friends through the pandemic. No strings attached.

My mirror self-talk (my journey from taking my first 10,000 steps to entering the 2020 Ms Health & Fitness Contest)

Two years ago, when I glanced at my reflection in the mirror during a yoga class a few months before my 49th birthday, my inner voice warned me not to give in to my negative self-image perceptions. I needed to embrace my love handles, welcome wrinkles, sprouts of random white hair, and accept that I won’t fit into my favorite jeans. I told myself, this is my next chapter — acceptance, parental fatigue, and settling down into middle age.

But I wasn’t ready for that chapter, so I re-wrote my story.

Don’t let yourself go. Let go of your self-doubt.

A part of me was crying out against giving in and letting myself go. Instead, I told myself to try harder. Because what I needed more was to fight for who I am, challenge myself to become a stronger, fiercer, healthier version of myself, and reclaim my feisty spirit.

I needed to let go of my self-doubt, insecurities, and negativity against the concept of change. Change is tough. There will be hills to climb, and the path towards starting and maintaining a healthy lifestyle never ends.

I’m clumsy and uncoordinated, don’t excel in any sports or type of exercise, and have no professional experience in the fitness industry, but when I embarked on a personal fitness journey after my “mirror self-talk” and shared my progress with others, it shifted my perspective, attitude and built my confidence to create and lead a Facebook fitness group.

It sounds old school, generic and boring — but leading the group changed me.

The backstory of my fitness journey.

I started my first day by walking 10,000 steps and posted my progress regularly on my personal Facebook page. Over time I walked further and pushed myself through in-studio, online fitness classes, and outdoor workouts.

My friends and followers watched me talk about my passion for chocolate cake, my struggles resisting potato chips and deep-fried treats, and my addiction to Netflix while binge-eating jujubes.

They also saw me take on various challenges such as weight loss, intermittent fasting, bettering my diet, increasing my daily step count, attempting push-ups, cartwheels, yoga poses, and running races.

The more you learn about other people’s barriers to healthy living the more tools you will have to overcome your own barriers. — Chrissy Chequer, Certified Exercise Physiologist

Where I’m at two years later.

I lost and maintained a 19-pound weight loss, walked a personal record of over 40,000 steps/29 kilometers in a day, and ran three different first-time-ever mountain races in the snow, sunshine, and rain. I learned and mastered a 4-minute yoga headstand and 30-second crow pose, can do 69 consecutive cartwheels, 6 consecutive chin-ups, and cross the monkey bars 4 consecutive times.

I also entered an international “Ms. Health & Fitness” competition for the first time (placed 4th in my group phase, 2020), and I developed a love for swimming in the ocean during the winter — at age 50!

It’s never too late to better your health.

Two years ago, it was a struggle to reach my first10,000 footsteps in one day, and I couldn’t do one push-up, one chin-up, or any of the above. I didn’t know where my fitness journey would lead me when I started on day one, but with practice, perspiration, and perseverance, I knew I could get stronger, braver, and more confident over time.

This is how I re-wrote my story — by trying and believing that practice leads to progress, progress leads to change, and change leads to results.

Change is possible.

I’ve watched others improve their lives or take on new personal challenges on Facebook, whether it’s through exercise, music, performing, art, writing, crafting, or cooking, and I was constantly awed by their stories. I believe that watching a friend you know personally embrace challenges such as taking steps to transform their health and bodies inspires people and makes them believe that change is possible.

Accountability & why you need to create a self-mantra

Posting my progress journey on Facebook enabled me to become accountable to others. I’m an ordinary person with a health goal, but creating and announcing my self-mantra “Try, Mary, Try!” on social media pushed me a step further by empowering me to keep trying. It helped me stay out of “imposter syndrome jail” whenever I felt like giving up exercise or eating donuts.

I invited friends to join me for fitness challenges on my main page throughout my fitness updates on Facebook. Still, it wasn’t until the start of the pandemic last spring (15 months into my fitness journey) when I created a private group, the Fabulous Facebook Fitness Group, that people responded and were ready to join me. To date, we have 41 members, 21 of which are active and post regularly.

Witnessing a friend’s fitness progress online may help friends and followers change their self-talk by saying:

1. “Maybe I can give it a try.” (instead of “I won’t try.”)
2. “It’ll be tough, but I’ll keep trying” (instead of “It’s too hard. I’m giving up.”)
3. “If she can do it, so can I.” (instead of “I can’t do it.”)

I created a Facebook fitness group to inspire others to shine.

I started the group to create a safe, social place for people to check in with others on their fitness activities and encourage them. This was especially important at the onset of the pandemic, and it may be one of the reasons people decided to join during that time.

Accountability and encouragement are the main motivators in our group. Some people need a place to check in, be acknowledged, and see inspiring posts from other members to keep them on track. Members do their own thing, at their own pace, on their own time. Being in the group empowers them to stay motivated, commit to exercising, and be accountable to others.

Each person is at a different fitness level, and there are many options members choose to stay active, but what we have in common is that we all try, and each of us shines in individual ways. It shows in the engaging photos, video clips, and activities people post.

How to Let Your Light Shine: “Let” is the operative word; living a life of health and vitality that others can see is the easiest way to be an inspiration. Be seen living healthy — don't hide what you are doing, tell people about it every opportunity you get.— Chrissy Chequer, Certified Exercise Physiologist, 49th Degree Fitness & Nutrition

How to create a Facebook fitness group

Posting my personal fitness adventure on my main FB page over my first year gave me credibility and confidence to create and lead my own private group. But if you’re starting or in the midst of your own fitness journey, you can still create a group and invite others to join you and challenge them to improve their exercise activity together.

If you’re considering leading your own Facebook Fitness Group, here’s how I created mine. Feel free to use the same description and rules.

Description of our Monthly Fitness Challenge Group:

A 30-Day Fitness Challenge for the month of MAY. Done online, in-studio, or outdoors, on your own time with a daily or weekly check-in to this FB group to cheer each other on and keep us accountable! For an extra push, challenge yourself to incorporate a second challenge into our MAY practice (optional), full details posted in the group.

Each month I post a series of different fitness and health challenges, such as 25 push-ups for 25 days, 100 daily jumping jacks, walk 10,000 daily steps, learn a new yoga pose, do a 30-day plank challenge, 30-day yoga or meditation challenge, drink 2 liters of water daily, reduce or cut sugar for 7 days, try a new activity, exercise somewhere new, or I post links to various free online fitness, yoga or dance videos.

Rules:

1. Post your challenge.
2. Exercise every day for a minimum of 20 minutes(online/outdoor/in-studio), your choice of workout, any time of day!
3. This helps keep us accountable and makes it easier to stick to the practice. At the end of each day after your workout, please check-in and post “DAY 1-DONE,” along with your workout description, ideally every day or at least once a week. If you miss a workout or more, for whatever reason, let it pass. Just keep going!
4. If time allows, please encourage others with “likes” or positive comments, whether you know them personally or not; we all have a common goal — bettering our health and fitness.

Benefits and why our “Facebook Friends with Fitness Benefits” group works.

It’s free, always. No strings attached. Members don’t pay money to belong in the group. The only cash they spend is up to the individual for whatever fitness activities or programs they decide to partake. If your exercise routine is composed of free online workouts and free outdoor activities, you won’t need to spend money!

1. Accountability. Checking in daily helps keep everyone in the game.
2. Exercise is done on your own time. There is no set schedule — you set your own pace. You only need to exercise daily and post your activity.
3. Encouragement and acknowledgment. I read and respond to every single post every day, with either likes or positive, encouraging comments. Every member is heard. All members are encouraged to do the same for each other if and when time allows.
4. The challenges are done on an individual basis, whatever works for each person. Members choose activities they love, take on challenges that push them, and respect and acknowledge that we’re all at different fitness levels.
5. Friendship, community, inspiration. Encouraging, interacting, and sharing our progress and achievements develops a sense of community as we draw inspiration, energy, and fitness ideas from each other. We cheer each other on through our ups and downs.
6. Small manageable group size. There are currently 41 members in our group. Still, typically only 10–21 members participate regularly (varies each month), making it easy for members to view posts and engage with each other. It’s simple to manage and not overly time-consuming for the group leader.
7. Congrats are posted each month. I post and celebrate the accumulative number of days each member has been active with us at the end of each month since their join dates. This gives members a sense of progress, team effort, and accomplishment.
8. Fun and positivity. Members love being a part of the group! We laugh, chat, joke, exercise, and share parts of our personal lives online because we’ve developed a safe, positive space.

Taking initiative to help others gives your life a greater sense of purpose. The second lifestyle habit of the world’s healthiest and longest lived people is Purpose. — Chrissy Chequer, Certified Exercise Physiologist

Leading the group helps me stay motivated and embrace new challenges that scare me because I feel compelled to lead by example and follow my self-mantra, “Try, Mary, Try!”

I’m still middle-aged and suffer from the fatigue of parenting an active 10-year old boy, who still beats me at random running races through forest trails and wins every chicken fight on the monkey bars. But I have renewed energy and hope my son sees I’m still trying even though he says, “You can’t catch me! You’re too slow and old, Mom.”

I’ve grown to love my laugh lines, sprouts of white hair, and I can fit back into my favorite jeans. Today, I’m fitter at age 50 than I was at age 25, and I aspire to be just as active at age 75. Our group gives me purpose, and spiritually, I feel I was meant to do this! A sense of purpose was lacking in my life and leading the group enabled 21 friends and me to get through the first year of the pandemic.

Look at the ordinary people in your life who inspire you. If they can do it, so can you!

“Knowing your sense of purpose is worth up to seven years of extra life expectancy.” — Dan Buettner.

Can you inspire others to better their health?

You don’t need to be a fitness guru or spend any cash, but you need to commit to exercise regularly, embrace change, and possess a love and desire to encourage others. You also need a Facebook account and can follow these instructions to create a Facebook group.

April 1st, 2021, marked our first year anniversary for our Fabulous Facebook Fitness Group. If you need the motivation to lead or join a Facebook fitness group and create your own community, here are some inspirational comments from some of our active members who posted throughout the year.

“Love our group and the motivation everyone provides for each other. Again, thank you, Mary, for keeping us all connected. Looking forward to another great month.” — Michelle.

“18 lbs down since I joined Mary’s gang (3 months), but just as important as the mental benefit of regular physical activity. 10lbs to go. Sign me up for another hitch, please.” — Matthew.

“Woohoo! Glad to be part of this group! Doing my best to stay active.” — Anna.

“It was supposed to be my rest day, but instead, I did The Grouse Grind. Holy crap, that was way harder than it was 10 years ago. I think they added some mountain. I’m smiling, but on the inside, I was dying.”— Carol Ann.

“Thanks for the encouragement! I find this group so motivating.” — Holly.

“Tired today, but pushed through and got it done. 45 min exercise bike, 250 jumping jacks, 20 min weights. Headstands. I was shocked that I got up on my 1st attempt and held it for 1 minute. Even my husband was super impressed… said that it was incredible to see lol.” — Gail.

“Love it! This group rocks! Thank you for all the inspiring posts. If Covid lessens, I hope we can meet for real this summer — outdoors for an activity.” — N.W.

“Day 10 done. I was dripping today. My personal trainer worked me hard with core core core. Namaste, my peeps.” — Christine

“My January workout report was great! I surprised myself with missing only 2 days of workout, and all the other days, I did something active like dancing, running, long walks, yoga, etc., to get my heart rate up between 30–90 minutes a day! Here’s to February!” — Shala

“This is an awesome group — thanks for leading us, Mary! Dry Feb has been a lot easier than I thought it would be — maybe it’s because of COVID, and we aren’t able to get together to socialize, LOL!” Julie

“I got out for a great walk today. Chilly but so worth it — feeling great. I also got my squats in, which have been making a big difference. I find since doing them, my knees feel so much better.” — Laura.

“Hi everyone! I’m new here. Today I did a combo of yoga and Pilates. The other day I also did some cartwheels. I will attach some photos — please join me in my cartwheel challenge!” — Mia.

“5 mins to midnight: Day 30! What a JOURNEY, Mary (on completing 30 Days with Adriene “Journey” series) for which I’m eternally grateful and thank you to all of you for your collective spirit and energy.” — Shaya.

“Last 5–6 days lots and lots of steps, many many pounds lifted, curled, moved, squatted. A bit of guitar and drums. Couple of hundred pushups, a couple of hundred twist crunches. Still working on changing my diet, that is the hardest part.” — Darrell.

“Did the grocery shopping, and boy, lifting grocery bags in and out of things is a not-bad workout! Then I did some walking, but I’m getting sore knees, especially the back of them. Thinking it could be 1. related to my snowshoeing adventure, or 2. I need new shoes!” — Laurel

“Here’s how I keep fit! (Zumba video clip) I love anything to do with dancing, and Zumba is the next best thing. Cheers to 2021 — keep on moving!” — Joanna.

“Congrats, everyone! I’ve been doing Yoga with Adriene challenges so long now that I lost count. But yeah — 180 days, 6 months, now. I would never have made it without Mary and everyone’s support. I’m going to try the plank challenge for November, and do #movember, and do more dancing with myself, cue Billy Idol. — David.

“Day 2: I did the “exercise somewhere new challenge” 30 min kayaking & six short swim laps in the lake plus 20min (5 songs) abs workout at the beach.” — I.C.

“Thank you, Mary, for continuing to support us and for pushing us to do our best! I don’t know how you keep track of us all, but I very much appreciate your kind words of encouragement. I love how this group keeps growing. I truly enjoy everyone’s posts and dedication to being a healthier version of themselves — whether from daily exercise or doing something you love and enjoy or finding those quiet moments to cry or laugh. Awesome work all!” — Judith.

“Feeling inspired by all the people working out!” — Lillian.

Request from the author: If you create, lead and write about your own Facebook Fitness Group on Medium, please tag me because I’d love to read it! Feel free to reach out if you have questions by leaving a comment on this article. This is my personal message to encourage others to lead their own groups to better people’s lives through fitness — for free and for fun.

About the Author: Mary Chang is an award-winning short story fiction writer, published memoir article writer, blogger, and Medium newbie writer. Fueled by cartwheels, laughter, and encouraging others to shine through exercise — for free. Read her blog at www.marychangstorywriter.com.

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