If you feel like your workout routine is getting quite “samey-samey”, or if you are going through a streak of “missing” your gym session, or “sleeping through” your alarm so you miss your morning run, you are basically sick of doing the same thing. A nice way to spice things up is to bring some of your pals with you… Or if that does not sound like your cup-of-tea, you should try a group class. There are so many perks of working amongst others, here is a few to persuade you to do the right thing…
Motivation
If you’re like me and struggle to get a workout in after a long day, or would rather choose an hour of extra zzz’s over a breakfast date with the treadmill, then it sure sounds like you can use a dose of group therapy. The group setting is always a great way to re-energize your workout, commitment and goals. Committing to more classes in your regime even just once a week has shown people who worked out separately had a 43% dropout rate from a particular workout routine, while those who went to the gym with friends or took a group class had only a 6.3% dropout rate. It is a humans natural instinct to want to impress the people around you.
Accountability
Stanford University found that simply receiving a check-in phone call that asked about your progress every two weeks increased the amount of exercise participants did by 78% on average. So even if you can’t find a buddy to drag you to Yoga Class or Hip Hop Sesh, just having to answer to someone does wonders for our attendance rate. Heck, sign up for classes that debit you even when you don’t show.
Stepping up your game
Two words: Köhler Effect. For those of you who haven’t heard of it, it describes not wanting to be the “weakest link” in a group or partnership. Specifically, working out with someone more fit than you will, in turn, make you more fit. Not only will friends and fitness buddies get you more motivated, but there’s a natural tendency when you workout with those who bring their A game, to improve your current fitness level and make you better. Yes. Better. If you work out with people who are faster, stronger or fitter than you, you are going to get in better shape. People gain an increase in endurance, strength and skill when subjected to working out with groups and individuals “fitter” than them. I mean. Talk about peer pressure.
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