Have you ever felt like you are doing all the things right on your fitness journey your health, your nutrition, your training but something's missing, and that something is Support or other people or someone to share it with? Because a lot of us are in that five percent. We're in the five percent of people that are really going after the best versions of ourselves, and we feel like the majority people around us aren't doing the same. Today's quick wits is all about elevating your game and your success by doing it as part of a community, and I'm gonna share two amazing ways that you can do that. Welcome to the wits and weights podcast. I'm your host, philip Pape, and this twice a week podcast is dedicated to helping you achieve physical self-mastery by getting stronger, optimizing your nutrition and upgrading your body composition, will uncover science-backed strategies for movement, metabolism, muscle and mindset, with a skeptical eye on the fitness industry, so you can look and feel your absolute best. Let's dive right in. Today we are talking about an essential truth when it comes to self motivation and when it comes to Personal growth and improvement, and that is that this journey is often much more fulfilling and much more purposeful and more successful when you don't go it alone, when you can do it with other Like-minded people, and that's the key is like-minded. Not toxic people, negative people, people who don't get it, but people who do. And this applies to all areas of life. In my experience, but in the realm of fitness and personal growth especially, I have found that you are in a very tiny slice of a tiny minority when you're actually trying to Improve your muscle, improve your health, improve your vitality. As you get older, it's sort of the opposite path of what everyone else is doing. Who is getting more frail? They're losing muscle mass, they're not focused on their health, and so when you're doing this, the power of having a group of people that are sharing the similar or same goals cannot be overstated, and that's why I wanted to put out this episode today, just to tell you that you are not alone. You've got a community. That community is your fellow podcast listeners and the Whitson weights Facebook group, which is totally free. You've also got a community in the Whitson weights physique University Semi-private group coaching experience. Now, that's a that's not free, but it's also a different way to get into a group of people who are Going after their goals relentlessly, with commitment and dedication, just like you are, and so it really all depends on the level of Support you want. But either way, there's a home for you With other people like you going after the things you're going after, and so whether you need a little bit of Motivation a question answered.

You want to share your struggles with others and see if they've had the same struggles and what are they doing about it, or and I can't overstate this positivity and optimism, which is the foundation, one of the foundational values of Of the groups that I am part of and and that I lead as well we don't abide negativity. Right, realism and solving problems is different than a Negative mindset. We have a positive mindset that, no matter how bad things might seem or actually get, there's always hope in the future if we take action. That is what I mean by positive and and the beauty of all of this lies in the balance. Right lies in the balance of Sharing your experiences. But you're going after your goals in a what seems like a lonely, individual pursuit. Right, when you're in the gym, when you're lifting weights, it seems like it's just you, because it is, it's just you, but in your head it's not just you, it's everyone else who has the, the camaraderie and the collective wisdom and a sense of belonging and the accountability and all of these things that you cannot replicate when you are only doing it in a vacuum, by yourself.

Now, many of us are I'll call loners, or we are perfectly happy by ourselves, in our own head, in our own space, doing things. I can be there for hours at a time myself, and so why would you make that shift from going it alone to being in a group? Why is a group going to get in the way? Is it just this annoying thing Like can? I be sure that others are like me?

And I think there are some compelling reasons to seek out community. First, the science does support the idea that motivation and self-motivation is enhanced tremendously when there is an element of relatedness, meaning others are doing what you're doing, and you get this motivational boost from working alongside peers. You see others push through their barriers and that inspires you to tackle yours. There's also a shared learning experience to being in a community. The tips, the advice, the encouragement, they flow freely and you're like this almost collective brain that is enhancing your perspectives, giving you new solutions, new ways of thinking about common challenges, and it accelerates that whole process tremendously. Another thing it gives you is a unique space that doesn't exist out in the quote unquote like real world, I'll call it, even though this is the real world.

But you are trying to grow personally. You are trying to connect and it's hard to just do that randomly with the people you interact with in the world. So a group like our Facebook group or like Whitson-Wates-Fazik University is a place where you know for a fact you can come and find people like that, and it now becomes more than just this personal quest. It becomes a shared adventure. You can form bonds that go well beyond the gym. You have a network of support and friends that you can reach out to for life that uplift each other in all areas of your life, not just fitness. So if you've been navigating your fitness journey solo, if you've been going alone and you've been finding it a challenge to stay motivated or to overcome plateaus, this is a great time to think about what I am saying.

Right now, in your year, consider joining a group, whatever that is. It doesn't have to be ours, it doesn't have to be ours, but if you like what you hear and relate to what we talk about, definitely consider. I invite you to join the Whitson-Wates-Fazik Whitson-Wates Facebook group. It is totally free. I'll include the link in the show notes. Or consider joining Whitson-Wates-Fazik University. It launches in April, so when this episode comes out it's really close to launch. I will include the link to get on the early presale notification list for that. But either way, just remember we are absolutely stronger together and if we embrace that power, that power in numbers, that power of community, this will help you take your health, your fitness, to new heights that you never could imagine. Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Whitson-Wates. If you found value in today's episode and know someone else who's looking to level up their Whitson-Wates, please take a moment to share this episode with them and make sure to hit the follow button in your podcast platform right now to catch the next episode. Until then, stay strong.