Do you surround yourself with fit people? (Page 2)

I surround myself with nobody since all my friends have kids and 9-5 job.  I have no kids and a college prof so my schedule is so different.  I have a feeling I'll be single forever.  

The question stems from the ‘couch will kill you!’ thread where a few people commented on how their family or co-workers actually begrudge their fitness lifestyle and activities.  This seems weird, but also makes a perverse sense.

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I actually saw first hand the non-supportive family...from my own. I think in general they were just jealous, in the beginning they didn't really want to hear about any of my achievements or talk to me about my sport. Which is strange since my family grew up playing sports in high school and my parents were always supportive of those.

This weekend we had a breakthrough though!! Me and my boyfriend had a race where my family was taking a vacation. So they got to watch first hand, and saw how hard we worked to get to that point! As my brother-in-law said "Wow, that takes a lot of guts!!!" They aren't ignoring the sports we do anymore, like before. And they actually want to come see more races.

I don't hold it against them, I think they are just truly jealous they can't find the will power to do it themselves! That's why I have my wonderful boyfriend who will always support me no matter what!!!

-Megan

Edited by Megatron 2010-06-30 6:48 PM

Fit people surround ME...and they throw flowers at my feet....and fan my on occasion.

  edited for accuracy

My friends are a mixed group, some super fit people....some not so fit people.  Everything in between fitness wise.  I know who is interested in training with me or talking about training & racing and whose eyes would glaze over if I talked to them about hill repeats or tempo runs.

School friends, not really.  They are more of a gym/5k run then brunch crowd.  But most 20 somethings in Manhattan are like that.  But they are in awe of what I do.

Work friends, definitely not.  I downplay what I do. 

Personal/couple friends, absolutely.  It's the hobby and interest we share, and the early to bed, early to rise social scene works well with them.

A couple of years ago my circle of friends included mostly women who were 15-30 years older than me, overweight and sedentary.  That's because I am also a professional quilt artist and, as much as I loved them, these old ladies were going to kill me as I was being sucked down the same dark hole - sitting on my butt, sewing with one hand, eating crap with the other and spreading the disease of gossip. 

One day we were all at lunch and one of the ladies took a group picture.  A couple of weeks later I got a copy and there I was, smiling with my mouth full, at a most unflattering angle that showed ever bump and bulge.  My arms were huge and not in a good way!

I have slowly built my fitness over the past three years and distanced myself greatly from these women.  I now have a new, smaller circle of friends (mostly my co-workers) my own age who like to do active things (hike, paddleboard, etc.).  They are all shapes and sizes, but have great attitudes and want to get out and DO THINGS - not to my crazy extreme (their words), but I keep encouraging them and they do the same for me.  In fact, several of them came out to see me cross the finish line at my first tri a couple of weeks ago.  That was awesome!

It's kind of like what they tell people recovering from an addiction - you will need to change your friends and acquaintances.  I LIKE the people I hang with now.

Nope, although some of them are fit. (And this has been true throughout my life, whether before endurance sports or after).

The commonality among all those closest to me is that they are all very active in trying to make their own lives better AND lend a helping hand in others'. I do not have one single glum, bored, workaday friend.

I agree with you that most people who play poker seriously aren't the most physically fit examples of life, that is when I swelled up to my biggest ever, a whopping 345.  I stopped playing cards in January 2010 and have lost 100 pounds. The lifestyle of sitting around an oval table all hours of the night eating chips, snack cakes, and drinking sodas is not a good way to stay healthy....  I realized that if I wanted to be here to walk my daughter down the isle at her wedding (and she is only 9), I had to change something.  I decided to start losing weight and train for my first Tri.  I completed it (1:44:18) on June 19, 2010, and in under the time I set for myself (1:45).  If you are going to have a hobby/habit this one is a good one.  Since beginning my training i have seen the fitness level of the people around me has changed, mainly a lot of the people has changed. 

Dallas

Edited by fourdaegle 2010-07-01 7:21 AM