People tell me, “Angie, you are lucky to have so many supportive people in your life.” It’s true; however, I don’t consider it luck. Either these individuals have been gifted to me, or I have chosen these people to play important roles in my life. My gut tells me that it’s a combination of the two.

I am honored that this is my third week discussing how to succeed with your New Year’s Fitness Resolution. Weeks one and two focused on setting realistic expectations and maintaining personal accountability. This week, I will focus on establishing and maintaining a system of support. You may not control which gifts you receive in life, but you have some control over who influences your life and how you craft their time and friendship into a source of empowerment.

If you’ve been reading my column and taking my advice, you now have a reasonable goal, and have methods to maintain accountability. You’re off to a great start. To build a solid system of support, communicate with others about your goals, recruit positive people, network beyond your inner circle of friends and family members, and hire a fitness partner. In essence, I’m asking you to become your own fitness CEO.

First, don’t keep your fitness dreams a secret–talk about your fitness resolution. Last week, I asked you to write your goals on a piece of paper, and now I encourage you to communicate them with your most supportive friends, family members and co-workers. If you share your ambitions, many of your inner circle will help to keep you accountable. And who knows … if you talk about your goals, you may even inspire them to improve their health and fitness, as well.

Second, recruit positive people who believe in you and in your fitness aspirations. Find people who are kind, honest, trustworthy and want the best in life for you. Talk to them about your goals, and ask for their backing. Request that they email you words of encouragement, join you for a walk, or fix a healthy meal with you. (Some of you may not have solid support system already established, so please read my next paragraph.)

Third, network beyond your family and friends for additional support and motivation. One way to do this is to obtain and use a gym membership. Marysville’s YMCA has fantastic fitness programs for a variety of ages and abilities; Arlington’s Curves could be a great way to meet other women who also want to improve their self care. If you aren’t the gym-rat type, network in other ways. Start your own walking club and recruit your neighbors to join you.

Lastly, select a workout partner from your inner circle, or from your networking group. This person should be fairly close to your level of fitness and ability. More importantly, your work out partner needs to be reliable, and have a similar work ethic to your own. Agree to meet at certain times and on certain days, and take turns creating the fitness routine. There will be days when you are not able to meet, so be flexible, and make it a priority to make up the missed session. Offer each other accountability, structure, and encouragement, and also share information about fitness with one another. Most of all, make your workouts fun so that you look forward to your next meeting.

Fitness has nothing to do with luck. It takes determination, hard work and a lot of support. If you have good friends who offer support, appreciate these gifts. Beyond these blessings, I encourage you to carefully select individuals to motivate, inspire, or simply kick you in the rear. In turn, I challenge you to be a gift of inspiration and empowerment to someone in your life.

Next week, look for my column about planning for and avoiding fitness pitfalls. Drop me a line … I’d love to hear from you.

Angie Gooding is an educator and a personal trainer certified through ACE (American Council on Exercise) and owner of Inspire Fitness & Training. She lives locally, and trains clients in a private location in Marysville. She can be reached at AngieGooding@comcast.net or www.inspirefitnessandtraining.com.