P H O TO S : M ARTY BALDW IN
continued from page
251
ALL IN THE FAMILY
The easiest group to put together is
already in place—the family. Dust off
the Ping-Pong table several times a
week. Take brisk walks or bike rides.
“We’ve shown that when one person
in a family increases activity—she
starts eating healthier and loses
weight—there’s a ripple effect to
others in the family who are not in
the program. They lose weight too,”
says Rena Wing, a professor of
psychiatry and human behavior at
Brown Medical School in
Providence, Rhode Island.
OUTSIDE THE FAMILY
It only takes one person to give you
the motivation to head out to the
swimming pool or tennis court. At
Fitlink
(fitlink.com
) you can create a
profile and find workout partners in
your area with similar abilities and
interests. Or find a partner the
old-fashioned way—at work, church,
a volunteer group, or club. “I asked
my best friend, Glenda, if we could
exercise together at our health club,”
says Marnell L. Hayes of Portland,
Oregon. “We take care of each other.”
LEAD, FOLLOW, CONTRIBUTE
In larger groups, have members take
turns being the leader, picking the
day’s activity and being the encourager-
in-chief. (Good-natured competition
makes the workout fun, but your
group will fall apart fast if a leader
takes on a drill-sergeant mentality.)
Members can take turns bringing
healthy snacks. Tap into members’
computer skills or artistic talents to
create workout spreadsheets,
electronic newsletters, and even
team T-shirts and visors.
join a national team
W ant the support of thousands? Be a part of
the National Weight Control Registry. To
join, you have to have lost at least 30
pounds and kept it off for a year. Go to
nw cr.w s
to sign up.
HEALTH
b e t t e r
gear for
gettingtogether
A LL HEAR
The right stuff makes it easier to bring
others along for the
SEA FOR TW O
Keep his-and -
hers gear at the
ready so you
alw ays have an
excuse to move.
One great idea:
U.S. Divers St.
Tropez Mask,
SeaBreeze
Snorkel, Trek
Travel Fins &
Snorkeling Bag.
$70,
am azon.com
W alk sid e-b y-
side enjoying
the same m usic
or audiobook
with a RockStar
splitter jack from
Belkin. Works
with all iPods
MP3
store.apple.com
PICK A
PARTN ER The
delightfully
clever Fitness
Challenge board
game ($20)
serves up 8
weeks of
friendly
competition
between you
and a partner.
Fitnesschallenge
.com
SU IT UP W hat
exercise team
would be
complete
without a fun
uniform ? There’s
a huge selection
of tees at
cafepress.com .
About $25.
N o w w ith e ve n
m o re d e lic io u s w ays
to sta y o n tr a c k .
New! Chocolatey Pretzel
Honey Nut
® . TM . © 2 0 0 9 K e llo g g N A C o .
BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS OCTOBER 2009 2 5 5
