Birds of a Feather

Amberly

I have thankfully gotten to a place in my life where I know what is good for me and what is not. I know what do to for exercise, what to eat and who to associate with. I have not been so fortunate in my earlier life and have had a little realization over the past few days…

We have heard this saying many times before:

“Birds of a feather flock together”

I made this realization while looking at my old photos. Something peculiar stood out, I seemed to take the shape of everyone I lived with. When I lived with girls who are heavier, I was heavier. When I lived with girls who were fit, I was fit. What an interesting thought, are we directly influenced by our social circle?

What in particular is it that causes us to imitate those around us? Is it because our perception of normal changes?
Being a nutritionist I am going to go the food route. I think that with the introduction of someone into our social group they can make a positive or negative impact. For example: You move in with someone and they eat pizza regularly. Before them you may hardly eat pizza, but now that it is around, you partake from time to time. You partaking makes pizza a staple in your diet and now this has become “normal”. This is an example of small changes that would have a negative effect on our health. The opposite would happen if someone moved in who ate brown rice and vegetables regularily. This would become a staple in our diet and it would have a positive effect on our health.
Now, I would never take personal responsibility out of this. Every minute of every day we have a choice. It is remembering that these choices may be and often are influenced by those around us. Choose your friends and partners wisely, always be open minded to new food and experiences, but listen to your body and remember what is good for you. Make sure that your contribution to your social circle is a positive one!

Cheers,

Amberly

Question: How will you positively impact your social circle?