#49: Interactive, Not Inactive

We are all on similar pathways to a common destination of fitness, better health and weight loss. Along the way, at some point, we will need inspiration, understanding, and encouragement.

These things will not magically seek us out. We must be active in searching for help when we feel defeated. We need to ask for help, not simply go along and expect caring support to simply appear when we need it.

Sure, we can read articles, and those are a great aid, but there is something more effective than impersonal articles -- other people sharing the road to our common destination.

SparkPeople is an interactive site with members who are ready and willing to offer inspiration, understanding and encouragement to others on a daily basis.

The caveat? We must ask them for help. We must ask them for their thoughts on overcoming problems we face with our fitness routines and with our lives. Sometimes, we must ask them for prayers.

Seeing before and after photos of someone who has lost 150 pounds, or reading a member's blog or post relating how they can now bend over and play with their children, is inspiring.

Knowing that we are not alone, that others are facing the same challenges, is encouraging and lessens our anxiety. Being inactive, though, serves no purpose. Being inactive does not allow us to pass along words of encouragement to someone who feels hopelessness or loneliness, someone who feels as if they will never reach their goals.

Being interactive, however, will energize us and make us feel part of a group that spans the world. Being interactive will make us new friends and let us learn of exciting people, cities and countries. Being interactive will show us that we are not alone on our journeys. Being interactive will help us gain speed toward our destination.

We should join groups, become active in their huddles, reply to posts and begin new ones on topics that interest us and reply to members' blogs when they move us and when the writer needs our encouragement and support.

It has been said that no person is an island. We do not live in isolation. We need to interact with others for our health and well-being.

We need not feel alone and defeated. Not when there is a world of people to offer us the inspiration, understanding and encouragement we all need from time to time.