There is power in asking for help and having others involved with your fitness program. You may be doing your best to stay healthy and learn new habits on your own. But sometimes, it takes a little guidance or companionship to make your goals happen. Pick two of your nutrition or fitness goals, maybe goals that aren’t coming to you as easily, ones with possible room for improvement. Then simply ask a friend, family member, co-worker or anyone you feel comfortable with to join you. You’ll find that people will usually jump at the chance to help out and give you a boost – and to get a much-needed boost from you at the same time. Here are just a few ideas for how you can help each other reach your goals:

• Go out to dinner together
• Play some tennis
• Go for a walk
• Share your calorie results with each other
• Read an inspirational book together and talk about it
• Make each other a healthy lunch

Sometimes, it’s easy to talk ourselves out of our goals or habits. If one day all you can think about are fries and a cheeseburger, or if you feel like skipping your afternoon walk, who’s there to stop you? With a weight loss buddy, you have a better chance of sticking to your goals. A weight loss buddy helps with accountability, motivation and consistency. Buddies keep each other on track with encouragement and by trading updates on how everything is going. SparkPeople’s SparkPage search feature makes it easy to find a buddy online. Go to the SparkPage tab at the top of your homepage and check it out. You’ll find a whole community of people eager to match up and help each other. Put in your location, age and/or info about your goals to find someone like you.

SparkPeople’s SparkTeams and Message Boards are filled with individuals just like you, people who have made a commitment to lose weight and live a healthy lifestyle. Many members have already found success and are more than willing to share their secrets. Here you’ll find endless topics: what to eat, exercise tips, how to stay motivated. Fun topics, such as Survivor episodes and favorite books, are also popular discussions of the day. You can get even more out of this tool by participating. This week, search for a SparkTeam that suits you and join it. Visit the Team's forum or general Message Boards and make at least five posts. Focus on a single favorite topic or post on different ones. This is an easy first step to reaching out to others for help. Many members say that SparkTeams and the message boards have become a crucial part of their weight loss success.