How to ask for support from your support system

Asking for support from your loved ones can be hard, especially if you're unsure of how you best receive support. Some people best receive support by having their partner ask them questions, acknowledging their hard work, or making what they need to succeed more accessible.

Here is an example of each:

Making what you need to succeed more accessible.

If you're aiming to add more vegetables in your life but your partner does the grocery shopping, communicating with your partner to get certain vegetables that you enjoy is a supportive action.

Requesting your partner to ask questions for accountability.

If you're aiming to add a daily 10-minute outdoor walk, communicating with your partner to ask you around lunchtime how your walk was in the morning helps keep you accountable and is a supportive action.

Acknowledging your hard work.

If you're aiming to workout 3x/wk, communicating with your partner to acknowledge your consistency is a supportive action.

You're likely thinking, "why would I need to tell me partner to be supportive?". A couple reasons. 1, your partner can be a supportive partner but might not approach it in the way that you best receive it, and, 2, your partner can be a supportive partner but may be afraid to hold you accountable because this is your journey.

I have worked with clients in the past who had partners that weren't supportive in their fitness and healthful trials. They weren't intentionally unsupportive, but in a way that if my client wanted to eat a certain way to achieve xyz goals and their partner didn't want that for themselves or help provide options to support those eating habits, it made it more challenging to make lifestyle changes. This doesn't go to say that you and your partner need to have the same goals, same eating habits, same workout habits, etc., I just encourage you to have those conversations so you are both on the same page and same team for each others goals.