How to Think Like a Fit Person

Why: Not even the most die-hard exercisers relish getting up at 5 a.m. to run outside when it's 15 degrees. So they call in the big guns: buddies. Studies have shown that the encouragement of a like-minded exerciser (or a bunch of them) can keep us working out over the long term. What's more, the effect tends to last longer than the group does—people in studies still kept up their exercise routines long after the training group or class had disbanded. Your buddies don't have to be people you physically meet up with, either. Being placed into online groups where members were updated when others, say, signed up for a yoga class, was more motivating than getting encouraging messages and videos from researchers, found a 2015 study in Preventive Medicine Reports.