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(This is cross-posted at BlogHer.)

There are a ton of health- and fitness-related blogs on the internet. If you look around, it’s not difficult to find blogs written by people who really love working out and take care of themselves as best they can. If you’re lucky, you might come across someone who not only takes care of their own body, but also provides motivation and inspiration to their readers. While I follow a number of fitness blogs that provide that type of inspiration, I’ve realized the importance of having those figures in real life, too. In other words, I have fitness role models.

The best type of fitness role model is someone who doesn’t try too hard. It’s understandable to want to look good, but their main motivation for working out is how it makes them feel — it gives them energy, they do it because it’s part of who they are and they can’t imagine not being active.

While I’m not discounting the influence and inspiration that fitness bloggers can provide, having someone physically right there can be a huge motivator. Over a year after the fact, I still give a lot of credit to the person who took me into a weight room for the first time and taught me how to build muscle. It changed my life.

True, I was the one who did the work, and I’m the one who didn’t get bored or give up, and I’m the one who kept up with the routine when I no longer had access to that training partner. I give myself a lot of credit for that, but there’s no doubt that this person provided me with the initial motivation and knowledge to perform the moves correctly and safely. Sure, you can read a book or magazine that describes how to lift weights — but, for me at least, it’s just not the same. It’s completely different when you have someone right there to provide feedback.

A person’s eating habits are intertwined with leading a fitness-oriented lifestyle. I’m a pretty healthy eater, but the weakness in my diet is a lack of fresh fruits and veggies. I’m much more likely to grab carbs for dinner (like cereal or popcorn) because it’s easy and doesn’t take a lot of time. I can read numerous articles about how important it is to eat fresh foods, and how good they are for me, and I read a ton of blogs where people talk about eating and preparing healthy foods. But that hasn’t equated to kicking myself into action. (The funny thing is? I really do like fruits and veggies. I don’t have to be forced to eat them…as long as they’re already there.)

(Well, I like everything except raw tomatoes. Gag.)

Here’s where the healthy role-model comes into play again. Whenever I hang out at my older sister’s house, she has this uncanny ability to whip up something on the spur of the moment — and it’s healthy, and it tastes damn good. She seems to have learned this skill after we stopped living together (I lived with her for about six years when I was in my late teens to early 20s), but I know if we lived together today she would inspire me to change my eating habits and put more of an effort into my food preparation.

I also have this friend, D., who says things like, “The most important thing we have is our health,” and “I believe in eating good food.” He doesn’t say it in a preachy way; it’s matter-of-fact, like he really believes what he says and he lives it every day. I find that inspirational, too. And again, the difference is that I know him in person.

I may salivate over a recipe that’s posted online, and I may even go so far as to print it out, but how often do I follow through with the actual preparation? A vast majority of the time, the answer is never. But all it took was listening to D. describe the contents of his refrigerator (I mean, the man buys flax seeds), and the snacks he eats throughout the day, and how he doesn’t buy protein powder because he likes to get his required nutrients from real food, and suddenly I’m making a list and planning to run out to the grocery store as soon as possible.

I read an interview with Brooke Shields in a recent issue of Shape magazine. Brooke was asked if she had a fitness role model, and her answer was no. She said she doesn’t believe in fitness role models because it’s not good to compare yourself to others. I absolutely agree with that — of course you should never attempt to emulate someone just because you want to look exactly like they do. No matter how hard you try, that’s impossible.

The thing is, having a fitness role model shouldn’t involve comparisons and it certainly shouldn’t make you feel bad about yourself. This person should be a source of inspiration and motivation; they should (ideally) have a source of knowledge they can teach you, or at least embody good habits that you may be lacking. Think about how we’re encouraged to find mentors, whether it’s in a workplace or educational setting. We don’t look for a mentor simply because we want to be that person. We look for someone who can teach us something we don’t know, as well as offer guidance and support. It’s the same concept with health and fitness.

I should stress that having a role model can only take you so far. You have to want it. I went out and power-walked for five miles last night, even though I’ve walked and/or ran that same route pretty often in the past few weeks and I could have taken a break. I did it because I knew I’d feel even better once I got home. I did it because I was thinking proactively — it’s supposed to rain tonight, so putting it off for one night may have meant putting it off for two.

If the only time you have available to work out is early in the morning, you’re the one who has to push yourself out of bed. You’re the one who has to lift the weights; you’re the one who has to sign up for a class if you want to learn something new; you’re the one who has to topple off the BOSU numerous times before you find your balance. But if you’re in a rut, or if you need inspiration to keep going? Find a role model. Having someone like that can help more than you know.

Do you have a fitness role model, either online or in person?

Related Reading:

BlogHer contributor Deb wrote on her personal blog about the importance of having a fitness mentor.

Maggie Vink at That’s Fit says her fitness role model is one of her best friends — a dedicated athlete who participates in at least one Ironman competition a year.

Dieting Ninja made some fitness goals, but said “…being me, I couldn’t ONLY do fitness goals. I have all sorts of goals and plans and dreams and stuff in my life, not just fitness-oriented.”

News-Gazette of East Central Illinois: A firefighter fitness program pairs trainers with their peers