Most of us are social creatures. Other people are very important to our enjoyment of our daily lives. This has important impacts on our health.
Most of the time we think about this because of the difficulties social influences can present. A person who is working to overcome drug or alcohol addiction usually faces pressure from his/her old group, many of whom have the same problem. Sometimes people have to build a new social network in those challenging circumstances.
We often forget that social connections can, and should be, of great help. If your friends and family have good health habits, it can be uncomfortable not to go with the flow. You can also take an active role to better your own health and that of your friends or family.
I see this most often with exercise. Many times I have seen women training to complete their first running race together. Some people join walking groups, tennis clubs or join an athletic team because they then create a regula exercise habit built into their social network. There is social website called Get Up and Move <http://getupandmove.me/> where people challenge friends to be active by posing specific activity challenges for themselves. What better gift could there be for someone you care about than to come together in this way to feel better?