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Summary
On episode 229 of 40+ Fitness, Coach Allan looks at the people who make it harder to reach your health and fitness goals, the saboteurs.
Building on Jim Rohn's idea that you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with, Allan breaks down three types of people who can derail your progress: peers whose pressure pulls you back into old habits, well-meaning friends who second-guess a path you have already researched, and backstabbers who resent your success because it upsets the group dynamic.
He also flips the question and asks whether you might be one of those five people for someone else, then lays out simple ways to build a circle that supports your goals instead of working against them.
Links
- https://40plusfitness.com
Key Takeaways
- You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. Allan applies Jim Rohn's well known line specifically to health and fitness, not just life in general, and asks listeners to audit who fills those five spots for their fitness goals.
- Peer pressure is the first saboteur to watch for. Good friends who invite you to skip a workout, share a sweet treat, or go out for drinks aren't malicious, but if you don't have the willpower to say no in the moment, you may need to say no before the invitation even happens.
- Well-meaning critics can be just as derailing as peer pressure. People who call a researched approach like intermittent fasting or ketosis “dangerous” mean well, but arguing with them rarely changes minds; the better move is to acknowledge their concern, stay on your path, and only reconsider if something is actually going wrong.
- Backstabbers actively try to derail your success. These are people who measure themselves against others, so your progress threatens their sense of place in the group; they may offer you food or invite you to skip workouts in subtly self-serving ways, and recognizing the pattern is the first defense.
- Allan's own circle shaped his fitness for years. He credits the gym buddies he trained with in college for keeping him consistent, and says he recently hired a personal trainer himself to help him prepare for an upcoming Spartan Super race and a summer festival, proof that even a trainer needs the right people around him.
- Ask whether you're sabotaging someone else. Allan turns the question back on the listener: are you one of the five people helping a friend stay on track, or one of the five people quietly working against them?
- Building a supportive circle is a practical, repeatable habit. Joining a running club or tennis league, going to the gym at the same time each day, and simply greeting the trainers or front desk staff all create the kind of accountable environment that makes consistency easier.
- Different saboteurs call for different responses. Peer pressure often means limiting time with certain people, well-meaning critics just need a short, respectful conversation, and backstabbers require you to recognize the behavior for what it is and not let it change your plan.
“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”
Jim Rohn
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