Forget all that “new year, new you” talk. Begone, expensive gym memberships, restrictive diets and fancy protein powders. Forget about making a resolution and beating yourself up for breaking it a few weeks later. This January, John Annis just wants you to get outside for a few minutes every day.

Annis, a retired Marine and the interim president and CEO at the Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation, created the Facebook group “You Said You Would” in 2021 so he and a small group of friends could be accountable to each other about their exercise goals, many of which included outdoor activities like biking, running or walking. The only requirement: a post with a photo of their time outside as a receipt.

But as word got around about the nonjudgmental nature of the group—and the effects it was having on members’ mental and physical health—more and more people began joining. Today, “You Said You Would” has more than 1,200 members, ranging from retirees to corporate bigwigs to artists, teachers and more. Some people share a photo daily and some post much more infrequently, but every post is met with a supportive comment from multiple group members. 

Annis’ outdoor activity of choice is biking, and he often shares a photo of his early-morning rides through Lakewood Ranch, where he lives with his wife, Regina Morris. “I was very physically active because I was in the Marine Corps, but when I retired, I said, ‘I’m not going to do anything. I’m sick of all that,’” he recalls. Getting on his bike resulted in a physical transformation but also, he quickly noticed, a mental one as well—and not just because biking caused his endorphins to spike. After a family tragedy, Annis’ commitment to getting outside—and, by extension, his commitment to the members of the group—was a form of therapy, he says.

“At first, I thought, ‘This is all about exercise, it isn’t about taking in the beautiful scenery around me,’” he says. “We’ve got all these great trails, and I would just walk by alligators and birds. But then I thought, ‘What am I rushing back to? Sit down on a bench and breathe for a little bit and enjoy being outside.’ Now I think, ‘Look at that spider web, look at this sandhill crane, look at that flower.’”

Science backs that up. A 2021 study in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health showed that being in nature, even for short periods of time, can result in increased physical activity and decreased risks of heart disease, depression, anxiety, cognitive function and other chronic diseases. 

“We just want to know you’re out there and doing it,” Annis says. Last fall, one member bicycled through Colorado with a camera mounted on his bike while another member celebrated her first walk around the block after a knee replacement. One day, member Laura Sperling posted a photo with her feet in the air after a walk, a move that’s now affectionately known in the group as “the Sperling stretch.” Some people post photos of their travels. Others have moved out of the area or are snowbirds and share photos to keep in touch with one another, posting from places like Portugal, Yosemite National Park, New York City, Washington, D.C., coastal Oregon and Mexico City. (In November, Annis broke his ankle during a family outing. In keeping with his sunny personality, he posted a photo and encouraged others to post even more photos of their time outdoors. “The few posts in this group that I saw made me feel much better and determined to follow doctor’s orders and get back in action,” he wrote. “I’ll be looking at this group often…”)

Nancy Graver, a former attorney and CPA, is the group’s co-administrator. She retired in 1992 after a life-altering spinal injury left her paralyzed from the waist down. After fighting to regain some of her mobility, she says, “I can walk, but not well,” and uses a wheelchair to get around the house. Three years ago, her partner passed away after a serious illness, and Graver found herself unmoored, in need of something to do after being a full-time caretaker. That’s when Annis, whom she’d known for years, asked her to get involved.

“I think John pulled me in because he knew I needed something to do,” she says. She’s responsible for vetting members who request to join as well as general community management, like monitoring comments. But like Annis and everyone else in the group, she reaps the benefits, too. Bringing the specially designed tricycle she rides down from her condo requires assistance—but, she says, it’s worth it.

“When I’m out on the tricycle, people smile and say good morning,” she says. “When you get yourself in gear and go outside, you feel happier. Just move.”