Get social. Exercising with a friend can improve your mood and keep you consistent.

Get social. Exercising with a friend can improve your mood and keep you consistent. Meeting up with a friend to walk or exercise is a great way to stay motivated. When you are going with another person it keeps you accountable. You are less likely to postpone your exercise to later or cancel outright. You might be tempted to not show up for you at that moment, but you likely won’t want to not show up for the other person. So, you keep the appointment, and you spend time with a friend and get some movement in.

 One of my favorite cancer survivorship organizations is @2Unstoppable. They connect cancer survivors with other cancer survivors to encourage people to move together. @CastingForRecovery is another favorite. CFR holds regional weekend retreats and teaches breast cancer survivors fly fishing. There is magic that happens when survivors get together doing outdoor activities like learning to fly fish with fly swatters and training poles with fluff on the end of the line.

In the in-between spaces they start to talk about the challenges of survivorship and in those moments, we find that we are not alone and talking with others is a great way to brainstorm tricks for dealing with those survivorship challenges. Getting social can boost your mood and can create community. When we know others understand us because they were or are where we are, we are empowered to keep going. Was there a time you connected with someone and sharing your experiences helped you both?

Continue the conversation in the facebook group Surviving is JUST the Beginning or follow me on Instagram.