There are just certain feats of fitness that we can’t seem to accomplish on our own.

There are just certain tasks that seem to always thwart our best attempts.

But sometimes just a little friendly competition and support can get us there.

Sometimes you don’t realize you can lift more, run further or push faster until someone else tells you that you can or “forces” you to.

It isn’t that you didn’t believe you could it, it’s just that sometimes a little extra push from someone else encourages you to try just a little more than you did before.

While so many people, women especially, shy away from a little friendly competition, competition may be the extra SUPPORT they need to help them reach their goals.

When I work out with a friend, I don’t want to be the person that drags or slows down the workout. If we are running, I don’t want to be the person that says, “Let’s stop.” I want to make sure that no matter what, I go as far and as fast as we can

I don’t want to let the other person down.

If my workout partner can lift more or do more reps, I always push myself to keep up with them as much as I can.

And sometimes I can’t keep up, BUT I know that I’ve pushed harder TRYING to keep up than I would have on my own.

It isn’t about “beating” the other person. It is about the support of having someone else battling right next to you. It is about the competition to push just that little bit harder.

So next time you shy away from working out with your friend/family member/spouse/random person at the gym because you are worried that they are more fit/stronger/faster than you, DON’T (ok…maybe you can shy away from the random person at the gym…but only maybe…).

Who cares if you beat the other person!?! If having someone there that you are “competing” against pushes you to work harder than you would have on your own, then you won! You won because you just got fitter/stronger/faster!

So seek out a little friendly competition in your workouts. It may just be the support you need to reach your goals!